Safe and Sound
by Top Kicker
Summary: While escaping a fate that seems to be written in blood Ruby runs into a stranded Optimus. And as a broken ground bridge is being repaired Ruby's fate is catching up fast and things become a little sticky and not even Optimus can help her. But as the time comes, she faces her past in the form of a familiar face. But can she trust herself to defeat it? Re-write of Trust. OPXOC
1. Welcome to the Begining of the End

_A/U: For all of you that remember my old story, "Trust," Your also gonna remember that I promised a re-write of the story too. If you don't remember any of this, well here's a little_ _summary of the old story to jog your memory again, "Ruby had felt all to used and abused for too many years. Taking it upon herself to find a better life, she runs away, hoping to stumble upon something more. Only, she hadn't expected that something more to be a group of large extraterrestrial robots. Now, with their help, she must learn to become whole again, and put her trust in their hands" …so, did that spark something in you? Yes, no, whatever. Anyways, enjoy the new version of Trust. ;)_

…

"_**Oh well, the devil makes us sin But we like it when we're spinning in his grip"**_

**-Paradise Circus-Massive Attack-**

**Chapter 1-Welcome to the Beginning of the End**

…

Oh did she run.

Her legs pumped faster than they ever had before and she felt just about ready to cough up a lung. She gripped the items in her hand even tighter as she ran while the things tucked away in her large pull over hoodie bounced up and down in the coat. Her dark eyes made the daring decision to glance behind her as he head snapped back for a split second only to find the large man was still chasing her, his face red with both over exhaustion and anger. He yelled at her, something on the lines of '_stop thief!_' or '_get back here!_' But the girl paid no mind to his words and turned her head back around just in time as she was about to trip over a large crack in the curb, but managed to jump over it in a rather clumsy way, the bag on her back thumping against her.

Her mind had the quick thought of _how did this happen anyway_, but then gave a panting sigh when she did know how it happened. But, she sure didn't think that she would be hunted down for stealing a few miserable gas station snacks. She didn't think that this behemoth would be chasing her ass down the old road freeway, just a mile out of the city limits. She didn't think that any of this would have happened. But then again, what had she expected? To just walk into the place and take whatever she wanted? No, she knew that _that_ would not have happened. And now, she was really regretting her decisions.

"Alright, you can have it back!" She yelled over her shoulder, throwing the bag of M&M's in her hand at him. But the man ignored the small brown bag as it smashed against his chest. Although, while there was more items in her pockets, she knew he was not aiming to retrieve the products, but now was just after her and her alone. She would pay for her crime one way or another.

The girl could feel him catching up to her, his long arms outstretched and ready to grab her golden hair as it waved behind her, bouncing up and down. But, with a spilt second choice she jumped over the freeway railing and into the ditch below. She stumbled, before falling completely, but was back on her feet in seconds, running across the large expansion that separated the two different roads, one traveling south, and the other north. Heading towards the south driving one, she paused at the edge of it, watching as fast cars flew by. There weren't many of them, in fact they were pretty well spread out, but it was dangerous none the less.

Although, glancing over her shoulder and at the man who was hopping over the railing himself and into the ditch, she decided to take her chances with the cars. Her eyes flashed to the large red semi-truck, but the man sprinting at her scared her even more so she ran up on the road, climbing out its ditch and hauling herself onto the pavement. Although, the second she got onto it, she felt her heart stop completely. Her face quickly paling as the semi's horn blared, its tires spinning to a hard stop. But it had been moving too fast. It skid across the road, hurdling towards the girl.

But as the truck began to turn a little with the large amount of friction being forced on it, the blond had a moment of quick thinking and dropped to the ground, letting the truck glide over her, gently skimming her backpack and stopping just behind her shaking frame. Sneaking a peek up, she caught a glimpse of the man chasing her standing at the edge of the road, his gaze look shocked and worried at the same time, as if he was fearing her safety, but when he saw her stand up and dust herself off, his gaze once again turned hard as he stomped towards her, grabbing her arm roughly and yanking her closer to him. She let out a small squeak as her eyes shot up to his. He held out his other hand expectantly, his lips almost curling into a snarl.

"Caught ya" He growled, a smirk lay hidden his voice. "Now give me back my things" He gripped her arm tighter.

"Is everything alright?" A new voice asked as a small Honda drove past them, its passengers gawking at the scene that was unfolding on the side of the freeway before speeding off. Both the girl and the gas station owner turned their heads over to the new man. He was tall. Taller than the grizzly gas man. His frame was broad and well built. His brown hair seemed ruffled, like he had just gotten out of bed, but the look suit him. Even the unnatural blue died into his hair seemed rather fitting. The beard that wrapped around his face and cut into jagged edges to match his jagged face also seemed perfect.

He man's red and blue jacket held quite a few pockets and matched the semi behind him. His blue jeans seemed a little worn though, like he had fallen a couple times. For a trucker, he wasn't all that bad looking, and he didn't seem all that old either. Maybe in his late thirties. Most women would probably give him a glance or two in the grocery store. He walked calmly over to them, his bright blue eyes grazing over the girl and her predicament.

"Everything's fine" Grizzly gas man bit back a growl. Although, the trucker could obviously tell things weren't '_fine'_. So, now he turned his attention back to the girl as grizzly gas man released his hold on her arm just to prove his _'everything's fine'_ point.

"Are _you_ alright?" He now asked. The girl's eyes darted over to the other large man, still glowering at her before turning her gaze to the trucker, nodding briskly. "You weren't hurt were you?" He questioned.

"No, but she's about to be if she doesn't give me back what she stole" Grizzly gas man threatened, his eyes flashing a threatening look. The trucker gave the two a look before once again returning his gaze over to the teenager.

"I believe it would be best if you return this man's belongings" The trucker advised. Swallowing a little, the teen nodded and began to take everything out of her jacket, even taking it off to reveal the short sleeved shirt underneath, and shaking the hoodie to prove nothing was left. The gas station owner picked up all the stolen items, which really was only about five things, before once again glowering at the girl.

"Do you have a phone, because I'm calling the cops on this little thief" He hissed, his eyes never the girl, but his words directed to the other man.

"I do not" The blue haired man seemed to sigh. Grizzly gas man gave a slight growl.

"You're lucky kid," He snarled, "your off the hook this time. But if I catch you in my store again you're asking for it" he took a threatening step closer to her just to prove a point. The girl nodded vigorously.

"Understood" She gulped, a shiver running down her spine.

"Good" He nodded, and was just about to turn away before he added a quick, "And next time kid, make sure to look across the road" He gave her a dark look. "Because nobody wants to see a flattened kid"

She watched as the stalky man hopped over the short metal railing and into the ditch, heading back to the gas station not far away. It was then she remembered the presence of the trucker behind her and turned around to find his bright blue eyes staring into her dark brown ones.

"Are you positive you sustained no injuries?" He asked, eye brow raised. The girl also raised a brow, finding that he spoke like he was…. Well she didn't know but it sounded a little formal.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry" She rubbed the back of her neck.

"For what?" He asked, frowning now.

"About running in front of your truck like that…" She glanced down at the ground now. He starred down at her, letting his mind wander in thoughts.

"You stole from that man?" He asked randomly, another car passing by them.

"Yeah" The girl's voice was shamed, but truthful.

"Why?" He now asked.

"Doesn't matter" She pulled the hoodie back over her frame and slipped the back pack over her shoulders.

"I believe a matter such as that does" the trucker replied.

"I… wanted a snack" The girl paused for as she answered. And it was an answer that was half true.

"Oh?" The trucker shifted his stance.

"Hey uh, don't you have somewhere to be? Ya know, being a trucker and all-"She gestured to the truck, only to now realize it had no load. "…never mind"

"In fact, I do" He nodded. "But, if you would like, I could grant you a short ride to your destination if you would wish as a small apology for…" He paused, choosing his words. "-running you over"

Destination… the word echoed through her head. Did she even have one?

"No thanks," She shook her head. "Mothers do give sound advice, like don't get in a car with strangers" She made a random hand gesture to prove her point.

"Understandable" He nodded.

"Wait but uh-"She had nothing to lose she decided. Maybe it would be good to grab a free ride. "Where are you headed, exactly?" She asked a little uncertain if she even should be asking. The man seemed to give a bit of thought into this.

"South west" Finally came the curt answer.

"Maybe you could give me a ride…. I mean, if it wouldn't be any trouble for you"

"Not at all" The man nodded. She narrowed her eyes now, he seemed alright. But nobody could go on looks alone. Second guessing it all now, she came back to her senses and shook her head.

"You know what, I'm alright without a ride. Thanks anyways" She gave him a small smile as yet another car passed by, followed by a second. The man nodded with a smile of his own, but that smile quickly disappeared as his eyes flashed up to the sky. Following his troubled gaze, the girl watched as a rather strange looking bird zipped across the sky. Only then realizing it looked more like a small metal air plane. Although, it wasn't small. It wasn't big, but it wasn't small. And it was, well, to her best description it was pointy. She starred at the weird thing for moment before his flew off, disappearing behind the forest line trees.

"We need to go" The truckers voice changed to a lower octave, telling the girl that something was obviously wrong. Tuning to look at his face, she found his expression was grave and serious as his eyes stayed trained on the sky.

"We?" The blond repeated, making the man turn his gaze towards her now.

"You are no longer safe. You have been seen conversing with me" His tone was dangerous.

"Wait, what? Seen?" Her eye brows knitted together.

"I'm am sorry, but you will need to come with me" He took her by the arm, careful as to avoid the slight bruise forming from her previous handling.

"Hey, wait! Let me go!" She gripped his arm with her free hand and tugged as hard as she could, but the man was left unmoving. "Stop!" She shouted as he began to walk towards his truck, dragging her along with him. "Let me go!" She shouted loudly, hoping that maybe Grizzly Gas Man was still close enough to hear her shouts.

"I apologize, I do not mean any harm. But I fear that our company may" His eyes shot back up to the sky just as the strange metallic bird plane whirled overhead. The girls panicked eyes flashed up to the thing before looking back at the trucker.

"What is that thing?" She frowned, still trying to pull her arm free from his grip. "And would you let me go!" She added, tugging sharply now to prove a point. The man's bright blue eyes flashed down at her before giving a curt nod and letting go. She rubbed her arm slightly, he hadn't hurt her, but his grip had been strong like a lock.

"Laserbeak" The man rumbled, his eyes never leaving the hovering craft. He glared at it, knowing what was about to come, and knowing that once again another child may be added to their ranks for safe keeping. The girl starred at him, both now scared of the trucker who she was sure was going to kidnap her moments ago, but was now feeling that he was more or less trying to keep her and himself away from the floating thing, and she was also curious as to what was going to happen as she knew something was brewing in the air.

"Laser-what?" She repeated, shooting him a look that proved so.

"Come, hide in the trees, and only come out when I say so" His eyes shifted to the forest that surrounded the freeway. She waited as another fast moving car passed them, ignoring the semi on the side of the road and oblivious to the sharp-floating-what-ever. Nodding, the girl darted over to the edge of the road, hopping over the guard rail and into the ditch before climbing out and ducking behind a tree, head poked out and eyes wide as she watched the man who was staring back at her with the same bright eyes before turning his gaze towards the object in the air.

Something flashed underneath it and suddenly out of thin air a huge swirl of both greens and blues appears. The girl stared at it, wide eyed, trying to comprehend the mass of energy and light. It was… beautiful, and yet it seemed haunting. Was there something inside of it, the girl pondered, eye brows knitting together. Her question was regretfully answered moment later as a figure appeared. It was large and seething. Its red form glistening in the light of the sun. Metallic skin held its form as it seemed to almost strut through the portal, a confident and cocky look over taking its face plates. Red eyes flashed to the truck, then to the man on the ground.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The robot sneered with a smirk. "A lone leader, stayed from its unruly pack?" The girl gawked up at the large robot from behind the tree, a little unsure if any of this was even real. And she only questioned her sanity levels further when the man vanished completely, no trace of him left. It was an odd sight. Almost odder than the red robot, to just watch something that was once there, vanish. But soon she found out why as the semi began to shift and turn, building up on itself to make an entirely new shape. It stood, taller than the red robot. Its chin held high and its frame tense as it glared at the smaller robot with bright, glowing blue eyes.

"You know I will defeat you Knockout. Stand down" The new robot warned, his blue eyes flashing dangerously and a growl came to be in its words.

"Oh no, I don't doubt that, not at all" The red robot that the girl had classified as 'Knockout' spoke, hands raised in the air in fake submission. "But uh, who's to say I can't have a little fun and try?" He smirked, reaching behind his back in a flash and pulling out a long staff. Electricity seemed to course through it, zapping violently at the tip. "And-" He lunged forwards, aiming the thing at the larger robot who swerved to side just in time. "Maybe I just can with the help of some company"

As if on Q, another form stalked its way through the portal of swirling energy. It form was massive, not as huge as the red and blue semi's, but still quite large. It's blue paint seemed a little rougher than the red ones as it didn't glisten so much in the sun light. The large gun in its hands was poised to fire, ready to take aim on the red and blue robot, previously a semi. Its eyes held the same red glow to them as Knockouts. It's gaze held the semi's as it thundered slowly towards the two, stopping a good distance away.

"Optimus Prime-"It said slowly, not quite a mock, but more like a resented acknowledge. "You're looking better since the last time we met" He carried on "Did you buff your paint, seems a little too shiny" Now that was a mock as it was obvious that dirt and scratched covered the red and blue robots form. "Here maybe I can help even it out a little more" It growled, hoisting up the large gun and firing at the Prime.

Optimus ducked, rolling away from the shots, only to end up at the end of Knockouts prod. The red robot zapped the larger one, a devilish smirk painted clearly on his face. But, reaching up, Optimus gripped the staff and yanked it out of Knockouts servos, throwing it into the trees. The medic was about to chase after it, but a hard fist collided with the side of his face plates, knocking the red robot off balance. It staggered, reeling back with a cry.

Although, the Prime was given no break as the blue robot rushed at him with a battle cry, firing rapidly at the Prime. Optimus ran out of the way and made his way towards the blue robot. The two collided, fighting with fists now. As they battled, the girl watched as Knockout shook his head, dizzy from the heavy hit before shooting a glare at the Primes back and running over to the trees to fetch his prod. The girl held her breath as the large robot passed her, sliding down against the tree to sit on the ground in hopes to hide herself better. She watched as his optics flashed across the forest floor, landing on the item he was looking for, he grabbed it out of the ferns and bushes before turning around, only to find the human instantly. Her frame gave a shudder as their eyes met. A devious smirk crawled onto his face as he stalked towards the girl.

She shook her head, backing up into the tree as she gazed up at the looming robot. Only when his claws reached out to grab her did she utter a scream, thrashing about as he gripped her. At first it was hard and sucked the life from her body, she pounded against his fingers while trying to suck in a breath at the same time. But then, his grip loosened as he held the human closer to his face.

"Oh, and what do we have here?" He mused. He wasn't all too familiar with the Autobots pets. He had seen them quite a few times, but had never gotten quite a good look at their faces. He they had a female though, and maybe this was her, although, said femme was supposed to be Bulkheads pet. Not the Primes. He smirked, it didn't really matter.

"I wonder who this belongs too?" He wondered aloud loudly and teasingly as he walked back out onto the road, successfully catching the attention of both his company and the Prime. Optimus's optics widened just a tad at the sight of the girl in Knockouts hand, straggling against him with all her might.

"Let me go!" She shouted, pounding her fist against him. But the robot ignored her as he continued to stare cockily at the Prime.

"Hmm… I've always wondered just how far a human can stretch…" With his other hand, he took her legs and began to pull just a little. Not a lot, only successfully making her rather uncomfortable, but enough to have Optimus running at him, fist high in the air and ready to sucker-punch the red robot. Knockout dodged the blow, letting go of the girl as he tossed her in the air. She screamed, unprepared for the sudden flight, but was saved as she landed in the servo's of the ready Prime.

"I got you" He rumbled comfortingly.

"Sorry to end the fun so soon, but we gotta go" Knockout's voice paraded as the blue robot ran into the portal. The medic smirked to the two before running in himself, the swirling blue and green energy vapors disappearing behind him. Optimus stared after the two for a moment, knowing that they had probably only came through to see what condition he was in and find out if he was weak enough to be brought down. He looked back down to the girl sitting in his palm, breathing deeply as she tried to calm herself. Letting his hand hover above the ground, she jumped off with hesitance and took another breath as she steadied herself. Turning around to face the robot, she found he was back down in to his previous form of a semi.

"What was that?" She gawked as the trucker from once before appeared in front of her. "W-what are you?" She still gasped for air, her eye brows knitted together in confusion. He stared at her with deep regret and sighed.

"My apologies. I had not believed that you would become a part of this" He shook his head.

"Apart of what?" She asked, staring at the man that she knew probably wasn't even human, or actually there. Although ,she had been able to feel him physically before…

"Of war" He frowned. "I will explain further, but for now, for your safety, I need you to come with me" He told her.

"Wait, wait, wait, I have to what?" The girl held up her hands and gave him an exasperated look. "I didn't want to before, and that little show you put on didn't help Mr." She frowned at him, clearly unhappy about it.

"It is for safety reasons. If you stay here alone, you are at risk of the Decepticons" She frowned at the term as a car passed and a brief thought crossed her mind that they were lucky nobody else saw the little scuffle that had taken place. She starred at the man, eyeing him before looking over to the truck and sighing.

"Alright. Where are we going?" She asked, rubbing her temples, still comprehending it all.

"My destination is Nevada" He nodded to her.

"T-W-H-Wait what?" She stuttered on her words. "Nevada! That's like, a million miles away! Don't you have one of those swirly portal things?" She made a wild hand gesture to prove her point. And considering they were not too far away from New York, her resent to the long road trip was understandable.

"On a normal circumstance, yes. But we have been experiencing technical difficulties with out ground bridge and at the moment, it is under repairs" He closed his eyes for a moment as the agitating memory came back to him of when Bulkhead tripped and fell into the ground bridge portal right before he himself was going to go through, sucsuessfully shutting off the bridge for what would be some time, leaving him to get back to Jasper on his own doings. On most occurrences, if one was to fall in a ground bridge nothing would happen. But, the heavy green Autobot had tripped just as he walked into the base, lading sideways in the delicate circuits that made the bridge. And while Optimus had been left on the other side, he had not been the only one stranded…

"Come, we must be going soon as possible. I am to randevu with a friend up ahead" The man nodded to the girl now.

"Wait, who's your friend? There's more of you?" The girl reeled a little.

"Yes" Was the curt reply. "Now," He began, the man once again fizzling out of existence as the trucks driver's side door opened up. "climb in" The girl stared at the open door and blinked. She didn't really want to go inside of the robot-truck-semi-thing, but she sighed, knowing she really didn't have much choice.

"Alright" She took a breath and walked towards the red and blue semi, climbing up the small steps and awkwardly sitting down in the large leather seat. She gazed about the interior and set her backpack in the passenger seat as the door closed and the seat belt snaked around her. She had never been in a semi before. It was… strange.

"What is your name?" The truck asked through the radio as its engine blared to life.

"Huh? Oh- Ruby" She let her eyes fall on to the steering wheel. "And yours is… Prime?" She questioned as she had recalled one of the other robots referring to him as said name.

"Optimus Prime" The truck corrected as it pulled off the side of the high way and into a lane.

"Oh. Well, that's a bit of a mouth full isn't it?" Ruby joked a little, adding a small laugh at the end just to let him know she was.

"I suppose it is at times" He replied with humor. She paused now, unsure of where the conversation would lead so she decided to change the subject.

"So uh, where do- who made you exactly?" She tilted her head a little, looking at the funny little logo on the steering wheel of a metallic face. "Because I have to admit, even you seem a little advanced for Japan"

"I come from the planet Cybertron" The semi answered easily.

"Whoa, wait, so you like an alien?" The girl gawked.

"Yes, we are a mechanical group known as Cybertronian's, split into two fraction in means of war" He proclaimed.

"Fractions…. So, where those guys back there the other side? And what are the fractions?" She asked, curiosity for the aliens growing, and she had the time to spare to ask them it would seem.

"There are us Autobots who seek for a peaceful way to end this war, and there are the Decepticons, who seek for destruction" He rumbled gravely.

"So then why are you fighting here? I mean on Earth, why not your own planet?" She frowned. "Sorry if I'm asking a lot of questions"

"That is quite alright. And we are here because our own planet had been left to a waste land, no longer livable. Our war had brought us here over time for various reasons" Ruby nodded in understanding now, but also a kind of pitied look came to her eyes along with understanding.

"I can understand that" She breathed, eyes flickering out the window as there really wasn't a need for her to drive as it would seem the truck was doing that for himself. She knew what it was like to lose a home. Although, while her circumstances may not be as severe as losing an entire planet, she still could reason with that. She gazed out at the road, yellow paint flickering by again and again on the grey pavement.

She let her mind expand to the aliens, wondering about them. Wondering what other kinds of worlds there was. Wondering what each one was like. She wondered things like this her whole life, gazing up at the stars whenever she could hand just let herself float away into them. And now, it would seem that this would be her chance to maybe even live that experience. And while it wasn't exactly what she had expected, not that she was expecting it at all, she wasn't exactly sure of what she thought meeting an alien would be like. There were a couple things that surprised her though, like the fact that he was made out of metal. A machine. But alive. Another thing was the sheer size of the alien. Larger than she thought they would be.

"So… who is it that we're meeting exactly?"

"Smokescreen, one of my younger warriors" The truck rumbled in reply. "We had split in search of Decepticons in the area. Although, it would seem they are all dispersed now" He explained. "And we are to meet in the next town over" Ruby thought about what kind of car he could be, a semi maybe? Or something smaller? Larger?

They drove in silence for a few minutes. Ruby bit her lip though as she glanced at the dash board, and then the steering wheel as it turned to the next lane over. If she were to ask another question, she feared that it would become pesky to him. But the silence seemed thick in the air, something that didn't feel right to her. Deciding that the quietness was becoming quite bothersome, she once again opened her mouth.

"So if you're in a war, what part do play?" She asked. "Like, are you a spy? A soldier?" She exampled.

"I am the leader of the Autobots" the Prime confirmed.

"Wait, of the entire fraction?" She asked with a blink.

"Indeed" She had a feeling that if he was in his other form, he might have given a curt nod by the sound of his voice.

"Wow. Wait so, who's the leader of the…" She couldn't quite remember the other fractions name.

"Megatron leads the Decepticons" He clarified for her. Ruby nodded, her mind beginning to form a picture of it all. Ruby paused now as her stomach gave a loud rumble. She hadn't eaten since the day before and was really quite hungry. Upon hearing the girls distressed stomach, Optimus clicked open his glove compartment on the passenger side seat. The girl gazed over to the little compartment and blinked.

"Inside I have a card. After we meet Smokescreen you can go buy something to eat" Ruby reached in to find a couple items actually. But ignored them all as she took hold of the credit card. She had never seen this kind before. Marked on it was some kind of military group and she frowned a little.

"What kind of card is this?" Her eye brows knitted together, it was obvious it was a credit card, but from what company?

"Our liaison, Special Agent William Fowler gave it to me for emergencies in case I should ever need to acquire something for myself, or for our human company" He told her. Optimus remembered when the agent had given him the card. All the Autobots had one in a special thanks to Miko and a little incident she caused on one mission…

"Human company?" Ruby raised a brow.

"Yes, we have taken it upon ourselves to care for three other children who have also gotten mixed in the cross fire" He rumbled.

"Really?" She blinked. "Three?"

"They all live in the same area and were caught under the same circumstance. Occasionally they still are involved in our battles, but we do our best to insure their safety as we will with yours" Optimus reassured her.

Now the drive was driven in a comfortable silence. Ruby feeling that her nerves were put more to rest as she knew now that he was in fact assuring her safety. Although, as they reached the town the quiet was once again interrupted but not by Ruby, but the Prime.

"I am sorry I did not bring this up earlier, it had seemed to slip from my processor, but would you like me to comm link Agent Fowler and have him tell your family about the circumstances. Not necessarily ours, but a cover up?" He asked as they drove up to the first red light and stopped at the edge of the town.

"Huh? Oh- no, no, I'm alright. There uh- on vacation anyways" She gave him a reassuring smile.

"What of school?" He questioned now. Her smile broke. She hadn't been to school in about two weeks.

"I can't go to school for another-week" She thought of a reasonable time with a small pause in-between her words. "I got… suspended" Quick thinking.

"Really? For what might I ask?" The light turned green again and the trucks wheels began to turn. The girl paused, mind racing for excuses.

"Fighting" She said coolly. She most defiantly wasn't a fighter, but the lie came out easily. The Prime hummed at this.

"Very well" He said, dismissing the idea of the agent calling anyone. Ruby let out a quiet, relaxed breath. She had a feeling that sooner or later he would bring up this question. But for now, she was safe from the unwanted attention. She let her dark eyes gaze out at the town now, watching as the smaller buildings and shops passed by. Only, what she didn't know was that while she gazed out, someone was watching her.

Optimus let his optics flicker from the road then back to the girl quite often. She was… strange. Her reaction to his previous questions he could tell had put her on edge. And he couldn't help but think back to when she ran onto the road, in front of his speeding form as she tried to escape the man she had stolen from. What had driven her to do become a thief? What had caused her to so daringly hop onto the freeway?

He thought back to when she had taken off her heavy sweat jacket to show the man there was nothing left in it. He remembered how thin she had looked. She wasn't that incredibly weightless, no she still had some pounds, but it was surprising to say the less. It was not what most children her age should have looked like. And on another note was dirty. There was no other way to put it, that's just what she was. Dirty. A layer of dirt seemed to cover the cover the girl, her hair was a little slick, like she had tried to rinse it out without any help from shampoo or conditioner. His mind had already begun to peace things together. And soon, he would find the answers to this odd human.

But for now, he had to focus on the task at hand. Silently, without her hearing, he comm linked Smokescreen, informing the young warrior that he would be at their destination in under a minuet. With a conformation from the other bot that was already there, he signed off and let his gaze once again wonder over to the human inside of him as she gazed out of the window, nerves calmed down again as she seemed relatively calm. Her golden hair fell messily around her face, but she had long ago given up on trying to keep it out of her eyes.

He then looked her to the bag in the passenger seat. It was large as pack packs go, holding enough items in it to keep her happy. He frowned at it, wondering what could be in the bag. Wondering why she even had it with her. It was filthy, just as she was. Tears and rips threatened to destroy it while all kinds of grit was lodged in-between its hard fabric.

But as they pulled into the parking lot of a safe way, his attention was pulled to the sleek racing car in the back, sitting as far away from the other cars as possible. Carefully going through the car lanes, Optimus pulled up next to the white car with blue colored stripes. For most, it would have been an odd sight to see a semi-truck without a load at a grocery store. Let alone that said semi was in the parking lot and not out back. But, not many people were out and nobody really seemed to think about it.

Smokescreen seemed ready to go, his engine rumbling in anticipation. Although, he faltered as the primes door swung open and out hopped little human Ruby. The moment her feet touched the ground, Optimus's holo form appeared at her side. He had a good foot on her and it made sense that since his robot form was so large, that his human form would be too. Smoke hesitated for a moment before suddenly another human appeared in front of Ruby.

He was young. Maybe just a couple years older than herself. He looked to be around nineteen or twenty. A single red streak was died in his messy black hair. His shirt was blue and tight, showing off his muscles underneath. Over it he wore a white sweat jacket. Nothing was written on it except for the little robot face on his jackets sleeve where his shoulder was. It was just like the one on Optimus's steering wheel. She glanced at said mech's hologram and looked him over again, finding he had the mark too. One was on the dog tags he wore around his neck, and the other on his belt buckle.

"Who's the squirt?" The new 'human' spoke with a raised eye brow. Ruby frowned, she wasn't a 'squirt.' And especially not to him, after all she was about to turn eighteen and if her age assumption for him was correct, then he had no right calling her a 'squirt.'

"Unfortunately, she had been seen conversing with me and was caught in battle. She shall be traveling with us back to base" The Prime replied, his voice sounding a little grave. Smokescreen raised an all knowing brow.

"Conversing?" He glanced between the two.

"Yes, we had both seemed to be caught in the same accident and-" Optimus stared but now Ruby cut in.

"He ran me over" She said, nice and simple. Smokescreen blinked before a smile formed and soon accompanied by a laugh.

"I'm gonna need to hear about that one later on" He grinned. Ruby offered a smile at him before Optimus's voice once again sounded.

"Yes, but for now if you still would like, you may get yourself something to eat" He turned to Ruby.

"Oh, yeah. Okay" She nodded. Returning the gesture, the prime turned on foot and began to walk towards the store. Shuffling her feet, Ruby was quick to follow a little surprised when Smokescreen also accompanied them.

"Wait so uh… how are you doing that?" Ruby frowned as they walked through the parking lot, her hands gesturing towards the human version of Optimus. Glancing to the girl he frowned.

"I am afraid I do not fully understand your question" He blinked.

"I mean-uh-well-" She tried to think of a way to put into words.

"You mean our holo forms?" Smokescreen input with a raised brow.

"Your what?" Ruby made a face. Smokescreen gestured to himself.

"Holo form. It's like a hologram" He explained.

"Wait… but if it's a hologram, then how come I could feel Optimus?" She poked the Prime's arm for good measure. He sent her a funny look, but she ignored it as she awaited Smokescreens answer.

"Well… you're gonna have to ask doc bot about that one. He's the one that designed them" The young man shrugged.

"…Doc bot?" She blinked as they walked into the store.

"Our chief medical advisor" Optimus cut in.

"Oh" Ruby sounded as they walked through the store. She paused though and watched as Smokescreen gazed about, a curious look on his face. "Is he coming?" Ruby asked, tuning to Optimus who too was giving the young warrior a look.

"Smokescreen-" He began, but the second the name was called the young man turned to him instantly.

"Sorry Optimus, I've just never been in a place like this…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"A grocery store?" Ruby did her best not to snort. To her, it was almost unbelievable that someone could be filled with such wonder by a _grocery_ store. But then again they were giant alien robots who for one, probably couldn't even fit in a store, or anywhere… and two, were from a completely different agriculture. The mech gave her a shrug before letting his eyes wander again.

"So this is where humans access food?" He questioned.

"Most of the time" Was Optimus's reply.

"Over here, I found it!" Ruby gestured to the hot food section. Making her way over to it, she gazed out at the meals behind the glass, already able to smell their delightful scents. She knew that maybe what was in the glass probably was the best variety or brand of food, but it was good none the less. Picking out various things such as a chicken tender, some salad, mozzarella cheese sticks and a soda, she paid up front with the credit card Optimus gave her and smiled as she grabbed the bags of food and the soda.

"Alright, I'm ready to-" She began, turning around only to find that two were no longer there. Frowning she looked to the right and found them both standing in front of the vegetable section. Well, Smokescreen was more or less the one that was actually staring at it while Optimus kept a close eye on the young man. Ruby raised a brow as the sprinkling system turned on and rained down on the food products, the automatic thundering sound boomed from the speakers and Smokescreens eyes filled with delight.

"This is quite the show" He laughed.

"Seriously?" Ruby stepped up next to Optimus. "The sprinklers?" Smokescreen turned around now with a smile.

"You humans just have everything don't you?" He chuckled lightly, eyes still in wonder from the… 'show.' Ruby laughed a little too, finding his delight in the simple sprinklers funny.

"Alright, let's get moving" Optimus cut in, turning around as he began to walk out of the store.

"So, your Smokescreen?" Ruby asked as they followed the Prime. She had already begun to munch away on a piece of chicken as they made their way out of the store.

"The one and only" He grinned back to her. "And you'd be…."

"Ruby" The blonde answered.

"Well, looks like you're stuck with us now" He nudged her jokingly even though it probably wasn't a good thing. No, being caught in another planets war was defiantly not a good thing. But she smiled anyways. Realizing they were lagging behind, they both jogged back up to the Prime although as they reached the truck and racing car in the back, Smokescreen's holo form disappeared, leaving Optimus and Ruby.

"After you have finished your meal, we will once again head out" He gave her a curt nod.

"Wait, what?" Smokescreens voice sounded from the speedy car as it gave a small rumble of its engine. "I mean, it's getting pretty dark, can't we rest for a bit?" He asked.

"Time is of the essence and we must use as much of it as we can" Optimus replied.

"Says the bot who never recharges…." The younger Autobot grumbled. Optimus shot him a stern glare and the white car seemed to reel back a little. "Sorry sir, I didn't mean any disrespect" He apologized. The semi behind Ruby vented a little as the Primes holo form gave a sigh.

"Alright, after we cover some more distance we will pull over and get some much needed rest" He agreed.

Ruby took no time in inhaling her meal, feeling her stomach settle happily when she was done. She was glad that Optimus let her eat before they left as she didn't really want to gobble up her food inside of the living truck. And she was sure that even though he hadn't said anything, he too did not really want to have messy crumbs inside of his interior. Although, when she tried to suck down her soda, she couldn't manage to get the bubbly stuff in all at once and the Prime told her to get with said soda.

This time, however, Ruby decided to sit in the passenger seat and kicked her backpack to the floor before settling in, allowing the seat belt to wrap around her as the door closed. Taking a sip of her soda before putting it down in the cup holder, she watched as his holo form disappeared and the trucks engine blared to life before they all took off out of the parking lot and out of the small town and onto a highway.

…

A/U: So that was it so far. Tell me what you think, to rushed, to boring, to awesome? I would love to hear some reviews, especially by some of you old Trust fans! :)


	2. Down the Road

…_._

"_**When you've seen, seen, Too much, too young, young, Soulless is everywhere"**_

_-_**New Born -Muse-**

**Chapter 2-Down the Road**

…_._

The high way was relatively inactive at the late hour of the night. Few cars surrounded them and the closest one was perhaps a good thirty to forty meters ahead of them. Ruby fought to keep her eyes open as she listened to hum of the semi. It was strange how quiet it was inside of the large truck because whenever she would drive by one they always seemed so loud. Although she was quite happy it was not so loud on the inside. It was more like a hum or purr.

Sleepily, Ruby leaned her head on the window and glanced outside to find that she was not the only one who was fighting to stay awake. In fact, it would seem someone was already asleep. With tired eyes she watched as the flashy thirty eight car began to drift off the road, slowly reeling to the side as it began to lag in speed. Although, with a loud, blasting honk from the semi's horn, the car jerked back on the road, swerving a little as it jolted back into the lane. And Smokescreen wasn't the only one surprised by the blast. If it were not for the door, or the seatbelt, Ruby was sure she would have fallen straight out of the truck as her frame jumped and her eyes snapped open fully.

"I'm up!" Smokescreen shouted from outside and through the comm link.

"Ugh, so am I…." Ruby grumbled, sinking back into the seat as she grabbed the soda from the cup holder and took a sip, only to make a face when she found all the ice cubes had melted to give it a flat watery taste.

"I apologize for the rude awakening" Optimus said.

"I think its about time we make that pull over or I'm gonna end up costing off the side of a bridge" Smokescreen gave a huff of humor.

"Alright, we shall pull off at the next exit" The Prime agreed. Ruby sighed, letting her head thump back against the seat. She felt as if her eyes would never close again as her heart was still pumping from the crude and sudden noise that woke her.

"Hey but, do you think we go for a stretch first boss bot?" Smokescreen commed. "I'm feeling pretty stiff, and I'm sure that all these trees will hide just fine, not to mention that most of the humans are tucked away in bed so there won't be so many prying eyes"

"I suppose it would not hurt to regain ourselves" Optimus agreed. Ruby glanced out at the race car, she already knew what Optimus looked like in robot mode, but now she had to wonder what Smokescreen's features would be. Would he be as broad at the Decepticon with the large gun? As sleek as the red one? Or would he be strong like Prime? She guessed she would find out soon enough.

The exit came faster than anticipated and soon they were pulling off into yet another district. The area wasn't a town per say, it was more of a… slum. There were a few duplexes here and there, but mostly it was just old restaurants for visiting highway travelers. There inexpensive health care offices for people who couldn't afford more, a randomly placed grocery store, house furnishing stores and more. It was a shopping place really, and not a very good one. It was a place that you knew a lot of crimes took place in. All the buildings were old and quite a few empty, the housing was horrible and rather unorganized and the whole place seemed kinda hopeless.

"Do we have to spend the night here?" Ruby sunk into the seat until only the top of her head could be seen out of the window.

"I regret to inform you that the next exit is twenty miles away" Optimus replied as his holo form fizzled into existence in the driver's seat.

"Why turn that on now?" Ruby asked with a blink, still hunched in the cushiony seat.

"There are more people likely to see us in this area than on the highway and I believe most would find it quite odd to see a driverless vehicle" He offered her a slight smile through the hologram.

"Ya, I guess that would be pretty weird… I'm still a freaked out about it" She returned the expression. "But hey, won't your tinted windows help?" She sat back up now.

"Yes, but there are still precautions" He nodded.

They drove in silence again as they all headed towards the woods so the Cybertronian's could get in a good stretch before taking their rests. Ruby watched as slowly, the 'town' began to fade away into nothing but trees. After a couple miles in, they scanned the area to make sure no other humans were within range before stopping at the side of the road. Optimus opened his door, allowing the girl to hop out with her back pack in hand. Feet hitting the ground, she distanced herself form the two vehicles before sucking in a breath as she realized she forgot something.

"Wait, I forgot my-" She turned around to find that the Prime and Warrior were already both transforming up into their larger selves. "Soda…." She bit her lip, letting her hand fall to her side. Optimus stopped for a moment, parts of his chest shifted and he retched in, grabbing a small paper cup. A small _crushed_ paper cup. And it was empty. "Oops?" Ruby gave a nervous smile.

"No harm done" He reassured her. Ruby gazed up at the robot. This was really her first good look at him as he stood still and tall. But she was quickly pulled away from the Prime as she watched the smaller robot beside him do yoga stretches.

"Whoo! Feels good to roll the old shoulders" He laughed, doing said motion as he gave a sideways glance over to Optimus who too seemed a little stiff as he moved his arms a little.

"Yes, I agree it is nice to take a break from driving" A smile formed on his face plates, but it vanished as quickly as it came. Smokescreens optics flashed down to Ruby and she starred right back at him. It was mesmerizing really, to look in the glowing blue orbs of the Cybertronian's. Her gaze shifted to Optimus's lights and took note that they were a little different from Smokescreens. It was pretty the way they lit up the dark night air around them.

Smokescreen knelt down and poked the girl in the stomach much to her surprise. "Hey, how bout we take a walk before we hit they hey, huh?" He smiled, asking both the human and his leader.

"I'm up for it, still feeling awake after Optimus blew my ears out" She gave a small laugh. She felt at ease for some reason. Scared by the huge robots, but also at ease by them. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Now they both looked to Optimus for approval.

"I believe it would be good for us all" He agreed. They had been driving for hours, a walk would do them all good. She watched as Optimus now knelt down some, holding out is hand palm side up and let it hover just a few feet about the ground in front of her as Smokescreen stood up again fully and began to step into the trees. Ruby starred at the hand for a moment, uncomprehending it until it clicked. He wanted her to get on. Biting her lip, she hesitated a moment. It was one thing to be caught by him, but to he held? She thought back to when Knockout had clutched her, the way his digits clutched around her tightly, choking her, suffocating her. But she shook that away, Optimus wouldn't squeeze her that hard, would he? Well she was about to find out as she found herself moving towards his hand, sitting in his palm and waiting for his metal fingers to embrace her.

But they didn't. She was simply lifted into the air. Butterfly's filled her stomach at the sudden movement upwards and she gripped his thumb that had moved over her lap. Realizing she had closed her eyes shut, she forced them open and watched as he brought his hand up to his shoulder, letting her slide of his palm and on to him. She gripped the pipes and wires that surrounded her as he began to move forwards after Smokescreen. Much to her surprise though, he moved smoothly, not at all like the robotic movements she had been expecting.

As she looked down to the ground below, a thought accoured to her. A memory actually.

_The lights of the city filled her gaze, glittering in and endless glow. A cold wind blew on her face as she sat on the top of the high building, her knees brought up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs. There would be no stars that night as clouds blocked the dark sky. She could hear the angry voicing of her beloved family in the back round, muffled by the closed glass screen door. But she ignored them as she held her gaze on the city that seemed to breathe. A soft click was heard as the glass door slid open and for a moment the shouts inside the home could be heard clearly before the door closed again._

_Soft feet padded up next to her as the muffled yelling continued until they stopped at her side. She didn't look up though, she already knew who it was as the person sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a moment, just looking at the ground below them, at the city, at everything. They didn't need to say anything to each other as they gazed out. No words were necessary. So instead, Ruby leaned her small child form on the other person that made up her older brother. His arm wrapped around her in a protective embrace that told the young girl that everything would be alright, that he would always be there. A silent promise he would make to her. Only, one day, he would break that promise…._

Ruby was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as Optimus turned his head towards her, his voice breaking her memories as she looked up from the ground and at him.

"Might I ask, where are your parents exactly? You said they were on a business trip" He asked.

"Huh?" Ruby frowned before remembering the fib she had told him. "Oh! Yeah, there in Colorado" She told him.

"The mile high City?" Smokescreen asked.

"No, that's Denver. That's _in _Colorado. Colorado itself is a State, not a city" Ruby explained.

"Whatever, same thing right?" The younger bot gave a dismissive wave of his hand. Ruby gave him a look before also dismissing the topic with a sigh and a shake of her head. The Autobots walked through the trees for a bit, Smokescreen making the most out of his stretch as Optimus just mainly kept an eye on the young Solider. Most would consider the dark woods a scary place, a place you would not want to venture it.

But it was home to Ruby. For half of her life she had lived in the woods. She was used to the trees, the wet leaves, the animals that scurried about. But she was also just at home in the city, the second half of her life. The tall buildings and sky scrapers is where she grew up, it was were her fondest memories lay.

"Whoo, well I'm just about ready to get some shut eye" Smokescreen announced. Ruby yawned, once again feeling the affects of sleep take over her.

"Ya, I think I'm ready too" She agreed. Optimus nodded, lifting his hand up to his shoulder and allowing the girl to slide into his palm. They would be able to walk faster if he did not have to worry about balancing the girl on his shoulder. His fingers curled a little to make a wall like barrier between her and falling. Her legs dangled off the side of his hand as she hugged his thumb as they began to walk.

"So, how long do you think it will take until we reach the Base?" She asked.

"Week and a half, tops" Smokescreen answered before the Prime could.

"That is unless Ratchet fixes the ground bridge first" Optimus interveined.

"Wait, what if the Decepticons follow us there?" A thought came to the young warrior.

"Ratchet is still tracking our singles back at base. If there are Decepticons following us, he will inform us" Optimus reassured the mech.

"But wait, how come he didn't warm you about the flying-what-ever" Ruby asked, looking up at the large bot from her perch in his hand.

"It would be most likely because he was not tracking me for very long and in that short time, Ratchet may have been doing other tasks" He replied. Ruby made a small 'oh' sound before she began to swing her legs and look out at the forest again. As they began to make it back towards the road, a soft laugh from Smokescreen was heard, making Ruby and Optimus turn their heads towards him.

"I can just imagine Ratchets face when we get back" He laughed. "He's gonna have the biggest scowl when he sees pipsqueak here" He tried not to smile as he did an impression, "_Frag it, Prime! Another human? Isn't three enough already!" _He waved his fist in the air as he lowered his vocals to make himself sound a bit older before laughing again.

"While Ratchet may not show it, he cares a great deal for our companions" Optimus replied.

"Huh, well your right about how he sure doesn't show it" Smokescreen grinned as they stepped onto the road. Setting Ruby down, Optimus transformed down into his semi form, opening the door and allowing the girl to climb in. Setting her back pack on the floor, she was about to situate herself in the seat, but Optimus stopped her.

"If you would prefer, I have a bed in the back" He offered. Glancing over her shoulder, the girl blinked at the small room in the back of the semi. Why hadn't she noticed that before?

"Alright, thanks" She gave light hearted smile and climbed to the back, moving onto the bed as Optimus's holo form fizzled into existence in the driver's seat. Ruby glanced at the blankets and pillows on the bed, poking them. They felt real, but she knew better.

"Are these blankets those weird holograms too?" She asked, glancing over the trucker.

"Yes" He sent her an all knowing grin as the blankets and pillows disappeared for a moment, before fading back into existence. Ruby smiled.

"Cool" She lay on top of them, head rested against the pillow as she looked up at the semi's ceiling. As the truck blared to life, she glanced out at the holo form driver. Thirty five. That was her age conclusion to him. That's what he looked to be. Although, maybe the stress lines were getting to him, maybe he could be a little younger… No, no, she was sure he was thirty five. Although, while the hologram looked to be that way, she had to wonder what his real age was…

"Hey, sorry if this seems like a rude question, but how old are you?" She asked, propping herself up on one elbow. The man glanced over his shoulder at her for a moment, thought in his gaze.

"A Cybertronian's life cycle is much longer than that of a humans and I am afraid I do not remember my exact age" He replied.

"What, you don't have it in some memory file?" She raised a humored brow.

"I bet it's in one" He offered a small grin before if vanished quickly. There was a moment's pause before he spoke again. "In human terms, you could categorize me in the mid-thirties"

"Ha! Knew it!" Ruby laughed, which made the Prime give her a funny look. "I mean uh-that's what I had guessed…." Her eyes wandered to the floor before darting back up to him, then at the wall.

"And may ask of your age?" He asked as they drove into the district.

"What's the date?" Ruby asked.

"April fifteenth" He answered. Ruby blinked.

"Already? Huh, well, in a matter of days I'll be a full-fledged adult" She laid her head back down on the pillow, arms behind her head. This was her last year of high school, and next year, she would be going to college. She smiled as she remembered the scholarship she gotten from her hard, determined work.

"You are turning the age of eighteen?" He assumed.

"Yep" She smirked. Soon, soon all of her problems would be gone.

They parked behind an old building compound. Although, the semi didn't turn off completely as he left his heaters on for the girl in the back. She lazily watched as his holoform dissipated, leaving her alone. Well, not alone, but it felt like it to her. But she knew better. She knew she wasn't alone. Optimus was still there, and she was inside of him. She tried not to think of how weird or creepy that was. And she tried not to think of how he could be watching her while she slept.

Kicking off her shoes, she lipped under the thick, real feeling hologram covers and rest her head on the hologram pillow. How weird it was, that she was surrounded by life like holograms. But then again, everything about the day had been weird.

"Good night, Optimus" She breathed as she melted into the bed.

"And to you as well" The semi rumbled. With a small smile tugging at her lips, Ruby let her eyes fall and her mind wander as she drifted off to sleep, allowing the night to carry her away.

_-O-_

Eyes snapped open as she gave a slight gasp. _It was just a dream_. A strange, scary, haunting dream. But a dream none the less. As her nerves calmed down she slowly looked around the cab to find that it was lit with the light that emanated outside. A low hum filled the air and she felt the semi rattle. They were on the highway again. Sitting up, Ruby scratched before deciding it wasn't worth it to just move over to the passenger seat so she flopped back down onto the bed, her head hitting the soft pillow.

From the driver seat, Optimus's holo form turned his head towards her for a brief moment before retuning his gaze to the road.

"Good morning" He greeted coolly.

"What time is it?" Ruby asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Nine forty three" The Prime replied.

"Mornin' pip squeak!" Smokescreens cheery voice filled the cab as he comm linked them.

"How does he know I'm up?" Ruby frowned.

"My apologies, it seems as though I have left my comm link open" Optimus admitted.

"Hey, in a couple of exits I read that there's a few restaurants. How about we take a break there and let the squirt eat?" The young mech suggested, his voice coming out of the semi's radio system.

"Wait, how long have you guys been traveling?" Ruby asked with a furrowed brow.

"We left at five" Optimus answered.

"Five! But- we had gotten there at one in the morning! That would give you four hours of sleep, or-er-whatever it is giant robots do" She sat up again, propping herself against her elbow as she gave an incredulous look to the Prime.

"Time is short" Was the only reply. Ruby shook her head slightly, disapproving the lack of rest.

"Alright, let's take up Smokie's idea and grab a bite, if only to let you guys relax. I don't want to see speedster here drifting off again" She offered a joking smile. The race car made a small noise as if he was about to say something before stopping himself and grumbled away into the comm link. This sent a sure smile to Ruby's face. As she pulled herself out of the bed and put her shoes back on, she glanced up at the hologram before looking at the rest of the truck that _really_ made up the alien. And as she crawled up to the passenger seat, she had to hide a smile as the seat molded to her form perfectly, making the worlds comfiest seat. Ever. She couldn't hide the smile as she sunk into the seat. Yes, she found herself quite liking these Cybertronian's.

Looking out the window and at Smokescreen, she caught a glimpse of his holo form pretending to drive him. The holograms eyes caught hers for just a moment and he flashed a grin at her as he revved his engine a couple times at her in good humor. Ruby laughed a little at this before turning her gaze away from the race car and letting her eyes graze over the cab again, still finding it odd to be inside of a semi. She was so used to seeing them from an outside view, but had never really thought about what they looked like on the inside which while it was similar to that of any car, it was also much different at the same time.

"So, who are the others?" Ruby asked after a couple minutes of silence. The hologram turned its head towards her and blinked. "Autobots, I mean. How many of there are you?" She rephrased.

"Currently, there are seven of us located on earth" He replied. "There is myself and Smokescreen, while back at our base we have stationed four others"

"That makes six" Ruby frowned.

"We have another, Wheeljack, but at the moment he is underway in exploring your planet" The Prime explained. "Although, on rare notes he does help us on some occasions"

"And what about the humans? You said there were a few" Ruby pressed.

"Yes, Jack, Miko and Rafael are under our protection as each has been assigned a separate guardian" The blue haired man nodded as he pulled on his blinkers to move into the lane in which the next exit pulled off into.

"Guardian's?" The girl repeated.

"Each human is enforced one Autobot to protect them. You will get one too when we arrive at Base" He reassured her. Ruby nodded her head in understanding just as Smokescreen commed them again.

"How about this place?" He asked as they came up to a breakfast house. Ruby scanned the small diner with her eyes before giving an approving nod.

"Alright" She agreed.

As they parked, Ruby hopped out of the semi and walked into the reastraunt, the two holograms of Optimus and Smokescreen following her. As they were situated at a table, Smokescreen let his eyes wander around the place just as he had done in the grocery store. Although, before they sat down, Ruby excused herself to the bathroom as she found that she really had to pee. After doing what she needed to do, the girl washed her hands and was about to go back out to the others when she saw herself in the mirror.

But, she wasn't really entirely sure if it was her.

The girl in the reflection was a mess. Dirt covered the poor thing, a small scrape with dried blood was seen on her cheek. The girls hands, even after having washed all the dirt and blood left over from falling on the cement to avoid being hit by the semi, were still dirty. Or, was that just a bruise? The girls eyes were ghostly, hollow almost. Haunted. But, that wasn't what she felt like on the inside, was it? No, no, she moved past that stage in her life long ago.

With a sigh, Ruby ran a hand through her hair only to retract in disgust at the oily feeling that coated it. Shaking her head, she moved back to the sink again, dumping more soap in her hand after turning on the water and scrubbing away at her face, watching off the dirt, grime and blood. She would not wash her hair in the old public bathroom, but for now she could at least wipe away the filth from her face.

Ripping out some paper towel from the dispenser, she whipped away the wet water and soap from her face and blinked at the image in the mirror. It looked a little more like herself. But it was still so far away….

Ruby gave a deep breath, tossing the paper towel in the trash before pushing the bathroom door open and walking back into the diner. Making her way back to the booth, she slid next to Optimus and glanced over to Smokescreen as he read through a menu.

"You're not actually planning on ordering anything, right?" She raised a brow at the hologram.

"No. I was just curious as to what kind of things you humans eat" He replied, gazing at the menu for a moments more before setting it down. Picking up her own menu, Ruby grazed over the different selections they had.

"So what do you guys eat anyways? I mean, er- if you eat anything at all…" Ruby forced her eyes off the menu as she looked up at Optimus who was watching her intently.

"Energon is our life source" He answered.

"Ener-what?" She blinked.

"It's blue" Added Smokescreen.

"Well gee, doesn't that just sum it up?" Ruby gave the young man a flat look as he held his hands up in defeat. Shaking her head she turned her wandering eyes back over to Optimus before glancing out the large window by their table and at the semi sitting out in the back of the parking lot. She blinked at it before letting her eyes wander back to the hologram. It was strange to know that the truck was alive and not just another piece of machinery. To know that aliens were hiding among them in plain sight. Literally.

"Hi, ya'll ready to order?" A voice distracted ruby from her thoughts and turning her head around she smiled up at the young woman that stood by their table, pen and paper out, ready to take their order.

"Ya, can I have the ham and cheese omelet please?" She set down her menu.

"Sure thing sugar, anything to drink with that?" The waitress asked, scribbling down her order.

"A coke?" Ruby requested.

"Sorry, we don't have coke here, will Pepsi be fine?" The woman asked.

"Yeah" Ruby nodded acceptingly.

"Alright, and the omelet comes with a side of bacon or sausage…."

"Bacon" The teenager decided. The woman smiled before turning to Optimus and Smokescreen, waiting for their orders.

"We won't be having anything today" Optimus spoke first with a slight nod.

"Alright, well your order will be done in a jiff" The waitress turned to Ruby once more as she took their menus and then walked off to the next table. Ruby tapped her fingers on the table as she glanced back up to Optimus and Smokescreen only to frown. If she didn't know better, she would have said they were having a conversation. Their eyes were locked onto each other's as expressions changed now and then. But no words were shared. Their mouths were not moving. Although, little to her knowledge, they were in fact talking.

"Optimus, are you absolutely certain it's safe to drive back to base?" Smokescreen questioned. "I mean, you said it yourself, the Decepticons are following us. They know we are cut off from the others, and they're probably watching right now" He insisted.

"While I do not doubt our enemy knows of our current whereabouts, I believe that we will be able to lose them in time. As long as Ratchet is hiding our signatures, we shall be safe. Our only problem is the chances of being followed, which at the moment, we are" The Prime stated. Smokescreen frowned, glancing out at their true forms before returning his gaze back to his leader.

"We can't risk it. Not while they're still hot on our tails. And who knows if we'll be able to ditch Soundwave's little minion?" He argued. "And the girl, she will only drag us down in our attempts if anything. I mean, do we really need to add another human to our ranks? Three is already a handful, are you certain the Decepticons will really target her?" Smokescreen glanced over to the blonde as she sat still, trying her best not to fidget as she eagerly awaited the omelet.

"If we were to leave her, the Decepticons are sure to use her against us as they were lead to believe she had ties to me" The Prime nodded solemnly.

"She's a liability" Smokescreen pressed further. "And that's the last thing we need right now" Optimus gave the younger mech a stern look now. Smokescreen winced now, regretting his words. "I'm sorry. It's not that I have any problem with her, she seems alright for a human, it's just that… I don't know, well, I do" He shook his head with a sigh. "If the cons show their ugly mugs again we could be very well out matched. Who knows how many old Meg's will send after us? And with Ruby in the cross fire…" Optimus gave him an understanding look.

"I will do my best to ensure no harm is to come to our road side companion. We both will" The Prime vowed.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt your staring contest, but I just have one more question" The soon to be adult spoke up, setting her elbows on the table as she glanced between the two of them. "How long can you guys go without eating, or er-fueling up? I'm confused, is this energon stuff something you chew or drink, or-whatever... Your last description of it wasn't all too clear"

….

Heads up, here's a small future glimpse at the future stuffs, the song I chose is more of a hint to the next chapter to come…. Mainly because I couldn't find a good song for this chapter, but because of this you get to know the phrase that means a whole lot for Ruby's next couple of days…. Or should I say past? dun Dun DUN.

Alright, so updates are gonna be kinda slow, I mean, I will post chapter as soon as I can, but school has just been PILING homework on me for weeks! Ugh, much more so than last year. And the fact that now I'm finally starting to be interactive with after school actives _*cough* not sports *cough*_ I haven't had much time to do the homework or work on writing. BUT NO EXCUSES. So, in that case, I will try my best to work on this story as well as my other one, which, for any of you Predaking fans out there, is a story you should read ;)

And sorry that this chapter was a bit slow, a few will be like that, but things will get a bit… intense around Ruby's upcoming birthday…..

Also, I know what this story is about, I have a plot, setting, details and past, but if any of you guys have anything that you would really like see happen, don't be afraid to ask. Like for you past "Trust" readers, would you like me to bring back the car wash chapter?

Anyways, REVIEW. NOW. DO IT.


	3. Dark

…

"_**This strong old blizzard I will let it blow"**_

**-On Powdered Ground-Agnes Obel-**

**Chapter 3-Dark**

…

Optimus and Smokescreen shared a look. That was something that had seemed to slip both of their processors.

"My tanks are feeling a little empty…." Smokescreen admitted. Optimus put on a thoughtful, yet serious face now.

"To answer your question, on average a Cybertronian go eleven earth days without nourishment" He informed the girl.

"More than I can" She shrugged.

"Eight days left" Smokescreen frowned. "Do you think we will be back at base by then?" He asked. Optimus nodded. Ruby opened her mouth to say more, but stopped herself short as a hot plate was being set in front of her.

"There ya go, hun" The waitress smiled. The two exchanged a few words before the worker left the girl to eat.

Ruby finished her meal quickly, and left no scraps behind. And after paying with the card Optimus gave her, the trio left in no time at all. For some time, the journey was quiet as Optimus kept to himself, dwelling on Smokescreens words. Ruby on the other hand was feeling to full to talk, and regretting that she ate the whole plate. Optimus could tell she had eaten to much by the face or two she made and smiled internally.

"It's the sixteenth today, right?" Ruby asked suddenly.

"Yes" Optimus turned on his holo form and nodded. Ruby let out a sigh. Just a few more days until she would be safe. Until she was free…. "I understand your birthday is coming up, as you mentioned yesterday. Is this the reason for your questioning?" He assumed.

"You could say that" The teenager nodded.

"May I ask the date?" Optimus asked now.

"It's on the nineteenth" The girl replied as she rummaged around in her back pack, pulling out a small wrapped box with a red ribbon tied to the top. She starred at it, twirling it around. It was no larger than the palm of her hand. The hologram starred at it intently. "This is just one of the many things I'm looking forward to on that day" A somewhat distant smile crossed her face as her eyes kept a firm grip on the box.

-O-

The man sat on the couch with a snarl as he moved the phone away from his ear and held a stressed hand to his face with a sigh. Opening his eyes he let his hand droop across his leg and held the phone back up to his head, his eyes darting up to the muted television that was currently showing the news.

"I don't care about what you have to do, just find her! We only have a few more days!" He snapped into the phone. The person on the other line said a few words, but the man cut him off. "Yes, yes, you're still getting her pay. But this isn't about the money anymore-" He growled, eyes flickering to the TV again only this time he kept them on the screen. Leaping for the remote on the coffee table he lunged for the volume and cranked it up, eyes widening with every passing moment.

There on the television was a girl in a black hoodie. Stuffing items in her jacket before bolting out the gas station doors as the worker there began to catch on to what she was doing. And for a brief moment, part of the girls face was visible beneath the hood. It was fuzzy and blurred, but it was there. And he knew just who it was.

The man's eyes narrowed ever so dangerously as an unpleasant grin took hold of his face. "It's about revenge, my friend"

-O-

Ruby spun the small box with her fingers before gripping it in her palm. Optimus watched as she did this, no longer paying attention to the road but purely on the small box and the girl. A frown had begun to creep on his face as his eyes darted up to meet that of the girls.

"What is it?" He questioned.

"A gift" Ruby's smile was a little sad as she glanced back to the little box. But suddenly she placed it back into the bag. "But we'll just have to wait to find out what it really when my birthday is now wont we?" She offered him a small laugh. Although as her eyes pulled away from his she let out a scream.

"OPTIMUS!" She shrieked with a gasp, her body instinctively locking stiff. Looking up, the holoform quickly disappeared as the semi revved back onto the road with a long blare of its horn. The Prime had been so focused on the teenager and her little box that he had begun to drift off the road. As he mellowed back into the lane, the Prime vented and sank to his axels. Ruby on the other hand was having a tougher time trying to relax as she clung to the seat, her heart leaping out of her chest with every beat.

Although it would seem her nerves would never be put to piece as the semi suddenly began to shift lanes all the way to the left, Smokescreen following right behind him as they pulled off to the next exit.

"Hey, where are we going?" Ruby asked with a frown as she glanced out the window to catch a glimpse of the flashy thirty eights car. Although it wasn't Optimus who replied.

"Laserbeak just decided she show his ugly mug" Smokescreen commed. Ruby thought for a moment, trying to remember who that was until she recalled the strange giant bird thing that had been following them around.

"Wait, does that mean that Decepticons are going to make another début?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"I fear it so" Optimus replied with an edge to his voice.

The two Autobots quickly passed by the town they had pulled off to and headed to the dense forest in hopes to evade the flyers ever watchful eye. But it would be to no avail as the large metal contraption once again whizzed overhead, just visible among the thick trees. Ruby leaned forwards, trying to get a better view of the sky from behind Optimus's windshield but was unable to see the little Decepticon drone.

As the semi and race car began to gain more and more speed, traveling down the empty road and after a few minutes Optimus came to a rather fast stop. Ruby, who was not wearing a seat belt, instantly flew forwards with a yelp. Hitting the dash board before sliding numbly back into her seat with a scowl.

"Thanks for the warning" The teen grumbled, softly kicking the under part of the dash board to show her discontent.

"I apologize, I accidentally used more pressure on my breaks than I would have liked" He admitted. Ruby sighed but couldn't help at smile at the Primes guilt.

"So, why are we stopping anyways?" Her question was replied with an open door. Ruby blinked at before realizing he wanted her to get out. So, grabbing her bag the girl hopped out of the semi, instantly looking up at the sky in search for the flying metal bird. But she only saw a clear sky beyond the branches of trees. Turning her gaze back to Optimus, she watched as he transformed by her side. And suddenly there was no longer a semi parked on the road, but a robot standing proudly at her side.

The girl stared up at the Prime from the bottom of his foot, taking in his massive form not for first time. Peering over his large chest, Optimus looked down at the girl as he shifted his feet, making the girl take a responsive step back. In the corner of her eye she noticed Smokescreen transforming too, but missed the grand sight as she turned to look at his direction just a tad too late. Walking around the girl with care, Optimus made his way over to Smokescreen.

"I fear your assumptions were correct" The Prime began gravely. "We are no longer safe to travel directly to base. For now though, our best chances to evade Laserbeak is to travel into the forest in hopes that the scenery can hide us" Ruby frowned at his words, glanced over to the woods that surrounded them. This was not like the previous forest they had strolled through, no, this place was much denser. The trees were outlined close together and the ground covered it bushes, thorns, and ferns. The ground was not flat but bumpy and held many small, but steep cliffs and edges.

Biting her lip, Ruby walked over from behind Optimus and between his legs, making her stand by his right foot and knocking on it with the side of her fist a couple times to get his attention. Peering over his chest once again, but careful not to move his feet, the Prime looked down at the girl.

"Wait, so were going to go in there?" The gestured to forest.

"Yes" He nodded.

"But, it's so dense… are you sure you guys will be able to walk through it?" She adjusted the strap of her backpack. Optimus and Smokescreen both glanced at the flourishing plant life.

"It'll take a bit of stealth…" The younger mech rubbed the back of his neck, a very human habit he had picked up from Jack.

"It is our only option" Optimus admitted.

"All you'll be doing is making a new hikers trail" The teenager huffed, but then after a moment sighed and nodded her head. "But it's worth a shot" with a curt nod of agreement, the Prime stepped off the road and into the forest, Smokescreen gave a glace down to Ruby before following his leader. Ruby was quick to hop off the road and head after them, not wanting to be left behind she trotted up to the two robots. Although, not moments after they began to walk did Smokescreen already knock down a tree. He made a small noise as he tried to catch the falling tree, but missed it clumsily and the tree hit the ground with a thump. Ruby gave him a look as the mech recovered from the small dilemma.

"Suggestion, don't turn into a bulldozer" She snorted. The Autobot gave her a look before he began to follow after Optimus again, this time though he began to move his body sideways so he could wear through the trees as the Prime was doing. Ruby ran up to catch up with them once more, slowing down to a brisk walk when she reached them. She nearly tripped a couple times over roots and ferns and a thorn bush snagged at her back pack but she ripped it away violently.

They walked for a while, Ruby continuing to do her funny little skip hop to keep up with the Autobots quicker pace. Smokescreen ended up knowing over a few more trees as did Optimus. One of which landed closer to Ruby than she would have liked. Although, no harm was done and she brushed it off.

"I don't think our plan is working…" Smokescreen finally broke the silence that had filled the three of them.

"This was a plan?" Ruby stopped walking to give him a raised brow. Smokescreen glanced down at the girl with a flat look before turning his head up to the sky again.

"Decepticreep is still hot on our trails, just saw fly by a moment ago" The young warrior reported.

"And he isn't alone" Optimus's face mask suddenly slid into place. Looking around the Prime, Ruby watched with wide eyes as a ground bridge opened up.

"Are we going to get a visit from them every day?" She said aloud. Although immediately shut up as she watched the robots pour out of the swirling vortex. At least fifteen purple robots ran out, already shooting at them. And then came the two that had helped to get Ruby caught up in this mess just the previous day. The larger blue robot hefted his large gun up, aiming it at the Prime while the red ones glowing eyes locked on the girl. Optimus instantly looked over to Ruby who was already backing up into the forest, eyes wide with fear.

"Run! We will find you later!" Optimus shouted at her as the battle began, Smokescreen diving into the purple robots. Nodding vigoursly, Ruby turned on heel and began to kick her feet high in the hair. She jumped over undergrowth of the forest, and tried her best to avoid the branches that seemed to come at from every angle. Although suddenly, red covered her vision and looking up, the red Decepticon from yesterday was towering over her.

"My, my, my, fancy meeting you here" He smirked. Ruby sucked in a tight breath, eyes darting around wildly before she veered to the left, bolting deeper into the forest. The noise of the battle began to fade from her ears, but the thunderous footsteps of the machine perusing her still rung clear. Daring to glance over her shoulder, she only found herself running faster away from the sight of the red con knocking trees aside to reach her faster. Her back pack thumped against her and she wished ever so much to just let it drop to the floor and to be free of its burden, but she would not give up her bag. It had everything she needed in it. All of her worldly possessions…

The sounds of war were no longer audible to her ears, now it was just the rush of the wind and the predator that followed. Her heart pounded against her chest, harder than she ever thought it had before. But no because she was tired, no, it was rushed with fear. And that's what kept her going. Leaping into the air as she jumped over a branch Ruby prepared to land on the ground once more, but was not so lucky. Instead a falling sensation tingled her senses and for a moment she was weightless. Then, the ground hit her. She tumbled down the steep hill. Crashing through ferns and thorns. Hitting rocks and roots. Only when she hit a tree did she stop rolling.

The wind air escaped her lungs, leaving her breathless as she tried to regain her composure. But she didn't spare the time for that because the moment everything stopped spinning, she was up on her feet again, rushing away once more. And just in time to as the large robot came crashing down after her. It would seem he was also unprepared for the steep decline. Although, when he hit the tree he didn't stop, instead the flimsy bark snapped in two. But Ruby did not dwell on this and continued to run away from the sight, gaining as much distance between her and the red Deception as possible.

Her eyes flickered around, looking for a place to hide because if she was going to, now was her chance when she still have enough ground between her and her pursuer. Although, the most promising thing she spotted was a rocky cliff about a hundred yards away. At the top, more forest was laid out, and while she knew she wouldn't be able to climb the cliff, there might be a chance there was a crevice she could hide it.

With a new found determination, Ruby made a bee line for the cliff. Her eyes already wandering up and downs its edges until she spotted a gap not too far away from where she was. It was a fairly large opening, a little less than fifteen feet tall. A brief though came to her mind that the con would be able to get to her if she hid it the opening, but pushed that thought aside. Scurrying into the cave like hole, she took note that it really was cave. Not a large one, but it was large enough for the Decepticon to get in if he were to crouch a little. But she took her chances anyways.

Just as she ducked into the rocky, bolder filled cave did she hear Knockout walked outside. She knew he was searching for her now considering he was not making a ruckus out of chasing her relentlessly.

"Come out come out where ever you are…." He called out with a purr. It was a game. That's what it was to the sick red robot. A game. As he came into view he slowly stopped in front of the cave. Ruby held her breath, waiting for his next move. And then he made it. In a flash, he was crouching down, starring down at her with glowing red optics. "Found you" A sick grin twisted onto his features as he tilted his head ever so slightly, reaching his sharp pointed hand towards her menacingly. Ruby shook her head, backing up a little. She caught a glimpse of the mech resting his other servo on the side of the cave as he reached further in to snatch her. But, as he let his weight on to the rocks, one of them shifted and suddenly everything started to fall apart.

Ruby didn't even time to duck, the boulders were showering down and the last thing she heard was the pained yelp of the Cybertronian.

_-O-_

Optimus let his shoulders relax as his sword retracted and his mask slid away from his face. They had managed to fend off the attack, leaving eight Vehicons dead while the rest retreated along with Dreadwing. The small battles may have seemed pointless, but they were meant to wear the Autobots out.

Smokescreen gazed at the gruesome remains of what was left of the aftermath. A frown melted deep on his face plates as his optics grazed over everything.

"Where's Ruby?" He asked. Now Optimus frowned.

"I instructed her run before she could get involved" Optimus informed the soldier.

"I wouldn't bet on it-" Smokescreen jerked his head over to the path of toppled over trees. "I'd say she's well involved"

_-O-_

A soft groan escaped her lips as consciousness slowly started to fade back into her. Everything hurt. Her head was pounding, her limps were sore from running, and she felt like an entire mountain had just fallen on her.

Eyes snapped open at that last thought as she recalled the previous events. A mountain did fall on her. Or well, something did. Sitting up, Ruby rubbed her head and blinked only to find that she couldn't see anything. She blinked again, rubbing her eyes with panic.

"Fuck-" She hissed under her breath. "fuck, Fuck FUCK" more panic fluttered through her. "I-I can't see!" She gasped.

"Will you shut up! You can see just fine, were in a cave!" A voice suddenly snapped at her. Freezing, a shiver ran down her spine and turning her head, she caught sight of a pair of two bright glowing red eyes. But that was the only thing she could see. Instantly she reeled back, away from the eyes until her back hit the wall behind her.

"What's happening?" She gasped. "Why is it so dark?" The Decepticon growled now.

"I liked you better when you dead" He sneered.

"I wasn't dead! If anyone's going to be dead it's you when Optimus and Smokescreen-" She began to yell but was cut off.

"If they what? They'll have to find us first now won't they? Tough luck with that" She could hear some crashing noises as more rocks fell as he shifted a little. Frowning, Ruby took off her back pack, suddenly grateful she kept it on. It was hard to find the zipper without any light, but was able to open up the bag and began to rummage around through its contense until her hand brushed against what she was searching for. Taking it out of the bag she flipped on the switch and prepared for light only to be welcomed with more darkness.

Gritting her teeth, she banged the object against her hand and suddenly light filled the rocky cave. Ruby smiled. Flashlights were something she loved at times.

Flashing it around the cave she realized why it was just so dark. The opening was gone, now replaced with a pile or boulders and rocks. And then, there was Knockout. The red Decepticon lay on the ground, rocks trapping his right hand and pinning him down from his mid back and beyond. An annoyed frown had taken up his face plates as he growled at the girl.

"Oh..." Was the only thing Ruby could come to say.

"The moment I get out of this you're going to be the first one on my dissection table!" He roared at the girl, his eyes filled with rage.

"Oh ya, blame everyone but yourself" She hissed back. He growled at her again, eyes flashing a darker red.

"Look squishy, you're the one who-" He began, but now it was her turn to cut him off.

"Say again? I wasn't paying attention. I was looking for a fuck to give but couldn't find one" She spat. Suddenly the Decepticon let out an outraged roar and his free hand was flung at her. With a screech, Ruby took hold of her bag and jumped out of the way just as his sharp claws raked the spot where she was. She was still in his reach considering she couldn't get any further away, but he didn't attempt to grab her again.

As Ruby starred at the Decepticon, she wished with all of her heart that Optimus and Smokescreen would show up soon. But, how were they going to know they were in the cave? She sighed, looking past the robot and at the rocks. Noticing the ones at the top were smaller she paused to think about it. Maybe she could loosen some of them and squeeze through? But no, she couldn't do that. Not with big red sitting right there. But then a new idea came to her.

"Look, were both stuck here, right? So why don't we help each other out?" She bargained. Knockout narrowed his eyes at the girl and scoffed.

"I hardly see reason to how a squishy could be of help in this situation or any" He bit. Ruby frowned, but ignored his words.

"What if I loosened some of the smaller rocks up top?" She raised a brow, pointing her flash light to said area. The con flanked up to where she gesturing and a serious look suddenly overcame his face before he returned his gaze back to her.

"And will moving a few pebbles accomplish?" He hated himself for feeling intrigued.

"They could help to shift some of the larger ones and free both of us" She explained.

"How do I know you're not trying to end my spark by piling more rocks on me?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Trust me, you already have _every_ rock on you" She flashed the light once more the giant pile earth. "Plus, it probably the only one who has a chance of being crushed here" _One way, or another_, she then added to herself mentally. Knockout starred at the human, thinking it over in his twisted mind. Ruby waited patiently for his reply, although inside, she just wanted to get as far away from the creepy Decepticon as possible.

"Fine" He finally said. But Ruby wasn't convinced.

"And once we're freed, you aren't going to dissect me, right?" She quipped. A frown came over his features as he scowled.

"Scouts honor" His voice was low. Ruby felt her lips twitch, _where had learned that from_? She starred at the con a moments more, her hand tightening its grip on the flash light. She began to second guess herself, wondering if she really should do it. But, finding her feet were already scuffling towards the Decepticon and the pile of rocks which lay on top of him, she knew she didn't have much choice.

The slight bravery which she had built up before when back talking the Cybertronian was completely gone now, replaced by anxiousness and fear of being within reach of those claws. She glanced over to the large rocks that lines the floor. The smaller ones she knew she would be able to scale were farther up, but these larger ones she had a gut feeling she wouldn't be able to. Although, there was one thing she knew she would be able to climb…

Building up the courage she had left, Ruby walked over to the red robot. She could see that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye and his free hand tapped its long claws against the hard earthy floor impatiently. Standing just below where his shoulder started and where the boulders had pinned him, Ruby took a deep breath before securing the straps of her back pack, putting her flash light in her mouth, and then grabbing on the Con with both hands.

She could feel him shiver in disgust at her touch, but ignored his squeamishness towards her and pulled herself, using his armor to her climbing advantage. Ruby was a rather remarkable climber, she had always been able to get the highest in any tree compared to her friends. Although, she preferred to stick to the ground. And the reason being was that even though she was great and getting up, she could never find a way down.

But she didn't think of that at the moment as she hauled herself on to the Decepticons back. Avoiding the wheels that protruded from him, she instantly scrambled for the rocks, wanting to get away from the robot.

"Two days with the Autobots and look where I already am," She began to grumble through the flashlight as she latched onto a rock. "stuck in a cave, that's where…."

"What do you mean, two days?" Knockouts voice made her jump a little. Turning her head down she looked over her shoulder at the Decepticon who was doing his best to keep an eye on her from his position on the floor. Popping the flash light out of her mouth and taking it in her hand now with a firm grip she paused her rock scaling.

"I mean exactly what I said" She frowned impatiently at the robot, hating him for distracting her from her task. Knockout paused for a moment, recalling her previous words.

"You were not acquainted with the Autobots before hand?" He questioned. His tone sounded a little interested, but not much. It was more... thoughtful. And that thoughtfulness sent a shiver down her spine.

"Not until you showed up, thank you very much" Ruby stuck the flashlight back in her mouth so she could have free use of her hands once more as she began to grab on to more rocks. As she dragged herself up onto the next boulder, she purposely sent a spray of smaller rocks down on the Decepticon. As the hard stones fell on him he growled, scraping his clawed fingers against the floor but said nothing.

It did not take long at all to reach the top of the pile. Well, it wasn't exactly the top, but it was as far as she could go without hitting her head on the rocky ceiling. Keeping the flash light awkwardly in her mouth, she picked up a smaller tock and threw it away. It tumbled down the pile, landing by the Decepticons side. She did this for a while, continuing to ride herself of the smaller rocks. Most landed on the cave floor fifteen feet below her, but a few rocks managed to thump against Knockout. He made a few nipping comments about it along with a couple of threats, but Ruby ignored the Decepticon.

Only was it that she reached some larger rocks did she pause her work. Spitting the flash light out of her mouth, she glanced down at Knockout.

"Alright, I'm gonna start to try and move the larger rocks so just… cover your head" She warned him.

"Oh gee, great advice!" The Decepticon growled in a snarky comment. Ruby picked up a small rock, ready to throw it at the red Con, but then decided against it and set the rock down, realizing that her actions would do more harm than good for herself in the future. So, shoving the flash light back in her mouth, she bit down on the rubber that surrounded it and began to shift one of the larger rocks, taking it up in her arms with a grunt. Looking down at the pile of large rocks and boulders, she eyed one that looked a bit look and threw the rock in her hands with all of her might.

"Incoming!" She muffled a yell through the flashlight as the rock tumbled down the pile, hitting the larger boulder and causing it to topple down, sending four more large rocks with it. Knockout did his best to keep to himself as the rocks landed near him, grumbling as one chipped at the paint on his arm. Ruby snickered a little, enjoying the minor discomfort she caused the Decepticon.

"Oh, sorry, did I scratch the little cons paint?" She mocked, her words a little disoriented by the flashlight between her teeth. She picked another rock throwing it down the pile and sending more boulders to tumble down in a domino like fashion.

"You will make a fine a fine experiment on my table" Knockout growled threateningly, shifting his body the best he could as the rocks came tumbling town.

"Nah ah, ah, no dissections if you want to get out of here" Ruby waggled her finger down at the Con who curled his lip at her. "Besides-" She picked up another rock with a grunt. "you're the one who got me into this mess so you owe me" She threw the rock, watching once again as it too thumped against a loose boulder, sending the large chunk of earth toppling to the ground. "And, your debt has grown even more now that I'm helping to free you" She smirked through the flash light best she could.

"Debt? Ha! While we have an agreement there is no debt between us" Knockout sneered, turning his head around as far as it would to glance up at the human.

"Oh, there is" Ruby hurled another rock down, although this one didn't manage to loosen any larger rocks and instead landed right on top of Knockout, scratching against the finish on his shoulder. A horrid noise came from the Decepticon medic as he screeched at her.

"Watch the paint!" He snapped.

"What paint?" The young woman huffed with a smirk lay hidden in her voice. Knockout scowled, hearing the laughter in her voice. "Stop fussing over your finish" Ruby suddenly turned a little more serious. "We have other things to worry about right now"

"Yes and when this is over with you'll have completely new worries…" Knockout grumbled darkly.

"Zip-bip-pip-remember the deal!" Ruby spat the flash light out of her mouth and waved it at him before sticking back between her teeth so she could pick up some more rocks. She managed to throw four more rocks in silence, happy to find that her idea was seeming to work and more large boulders tumbled to the ground as the smaller ones hit them, propelling the boulders forwards.

A small memory had come to Ruby as she tossed the heavy rocks. She remembered when she smaller, seven years old if she remembered correctly, she had been in an argument with her brother who would have been thirteen at the time, a little over than five and a half years older than herself, although he just liked to call it six years. They had been in an argument over how a smaller object couldn't move a larger one. That was Ruby's opinion. But her brother, who had been Mr. Know-it-all at the time, said that it could happen. And even pulled off a demonstration for her.

Dragging her outside and to the lake they lived not so far away from, he collected some of the best stones he could find, stacking them into a sloppy pile. Turning to his younger sister with a smile, the boy had picked up a rock slight smaller than the stones he had found and chucked it at the pile of rocks with all of the force he could muster. The pile came tumbling down at the impact, leaving a rather big smirk on the boys proud face, but a frown on his sisters.

"How did it do that?" Ruby asked with a tilt of her head, as she had still been confused about the concept of a small thing moving a large thing.

"I'm not really sure how to explain it, we're learning about forces and stuff in science class right now" The boy had shrugged.

Ruby picked up another rock, her heart aching at the memory. Wishing things could have always been like it was. Wishing that they still lived by the house by the lake, or the city apartment. Wishing her brother had never changed. Wishing she could take back what she did…

With a bit of a sigh, she threw the rock, watching as it crashed into a fairly large rock that seemed to really be weighing the Decepticon down. The rock tumbled to the ground, landing near Knockout who suddenly perked up a little. Most of the larger rocks were now on the ground, freeing the Decepticon from the extra weight they carried. Ruby turned her gaze to said Con and began to frown as she watched him begin to shift, rocks dropped from the pile to the flood as he moved. As the boulder she was standing on began to quake, panic pierced her heart and spitting the flash light into her hand, she jumped down the pile, rolling down the rocks without too much grace. Boulders tumbled after her, and the moment Ruby was at the bottom of the pile she ran away from the large rocks, praying she wouldn't get crushed in the madness.

Suddenly though, everything seemed to stop. The rocks stopped bashing into one another, and stone paused from falling as everything came into place. Coughing, Ruby dared to open her eyes and was instantly met by a cloud of dust. She could see that outside the sun was still out, and a shadow was cast into the cave. In the darkness and through the dust she could make out Knockouts figure standing by the cave entrance. His bright red eyes suddenly flashed down towards to Ruby.

…

Well I had some fun writing this chapter! And if anyone remembers, in my past story 'Trust,' Knockout and Ruby had many little skirmishes. So I'm including that quality in this story as well, but just a little more…. Dangerous. Anyways, I'm definitely going to add the car wash someone along the lines of the story, but that will probably be later when she feels more comfortable with Optimus and the others.

Hey, I would also like to hear who you guys think the guy making the phone call is in the beginning of the chapter! Because uh, or _definitely_ not going to want to forget him…. So, guesses and guesses!

Review please!


	4. Back Again

…

"_**I come back home and start to cry I'll never come back to Baltimore bay"**_

_**-Baltimore's Firefly's-Woodkid-**_

_**Chapter 4**_

…

Stepping through the dust, Knockout loomed over the girl, claws reaching down and grasping her before she could run away.

Ruby yelped, thrashing about as his digits snaked around her body, holding her all too tightly. Instantly, Ruby knew the Decepticon had no intentions to go through with the deal. As he held her up to eye level, she see his glowing red optics shine in the darkness, a sick joy over taking them as his laughter filled the air around her. Walking outside and into the sun light Ruby blinked away the brightness, her eyes focusing on the red Decepticon who was grinning at her.

"Oh how I could just so easily tear that flesh of yours…" He cackled, raising his other hand and let the back of his claws drag softly against her cheek. "How I would love to know what you really look like on the inside," his pointed digits pressed harder onto her skin making Ruby flinch back. "But, a deal is a deal" He sighed almost dis heartedly, his claws jerking away from her suddenly.

Ruby released the breath she realized she was holding as his clawed fingers retracted. Although, that breath turned into a gasp as he suddenly set her down atop a tree branch, a few feet over his own head. Ruby instantly gripped to the branch, holding onto it for dear life as she dangled high above the ground, at least twenty five feet in the air.

"I hate to leave you hanging around, by I'm afraid this is where we depart" He humored himself with the small pun.

"Take me down!" Ruby screamed at him angrily. Although, the robot only ignored her as he began to walk away. Ruby growled now, glaring daggers into his back. "Knockout!" She yelled as he disappeared into the woods. She sat there fuming over her current state for a couple minutes before sighing. Looking down she frowned at the tree. There was no way she would be able to climb down.

"Optimus!" She suddenly called out loudly.

-O-

Smokescreen didn't know how many times they had searched up and down the path of fallen trees, looking for anything that might give them a clue as to where Ruby was or what happened to her. Optimus had finally decided to investigate off the trail as they could find no clues yet on the 'path.' Smokescreen had stuck to the original path though, thinking that maybe if Ruby was still in the woods, she would come back to her previous path. Although, Smokescreens hopes of that were diminishing by every passing second.

With the ground bridge down, this had been Smokescreens chance to prove himself to the Prime. This had been his chance to show his leader what he was made, just how valuable he truly was. And so far, he wasn't doing too well. He couldn't even help to protect a human. Let alone find said human. The robot vented, he was being selfish. He shouldn't be thinking of himself, but rather keep his worries to Ruby. She was the one in trouble. Not him. She was the one that needed help. Not him.

But how could he help her when he couldn't even help himself?

Smokescreen paused from walking and gazed out at the endless mass of forest. It was a beautiful planet really. So lush… so alive. The inhabitance so strangely similar to his own kind. And small as they were, they were strong. He had learned that on his short time on the planet. Each human held a story, just as each Cybertronian did. Each was unique and different from one another. Something he couldn't say for every Cybertronian. He thought of the Decepticons and their Drone army. All alike. All the same.

"_Optimus!_" Smokescreen suddenly perked up at the distant yell. "_Smokescreen!_" Turning around he scanned his optics over the area. That was Ruby. "Optimus!" She yelled a bit louder, more desperate. Smokescreen began to walk in the direction of her voice. Although, his walk had turned into a trot which turned into a run then to a sprint as she called out his name.

"Ruby?" Smokescreen now heard Optimus' call out from not so far away, also in pursuit of the distant call. Glancing to the right, Smokescreen caught a glimpse of Optimus as he raced through the dense forest, battle sword ready and mask slid into place.

"Optimus? Optimus!" Ruby shouted back, but then her yells turned into screams as loud crack was heard. Smokescreen watched as the Prime rushed forwards, the younger mech right behind him. Coming out to where the trail of fallen trees ended into clearing and a cliff side, Smokescreen's eyes immediately went over to where Ruby was hanging from a thick tree branch, and ten feet about her swayed another tree branch, the broken branch just barely attached to the rest of the branch and trunk of the tree. Smokescreen could only guess that she had previously been on the broken branch, only to fall when it gave way and was now clinging to the branch below.

Ruby gripped on to the new branch, clutching it tightly as she managed to haul herself up far enough to have her chest lean against it slightly, her biceps hung over the top of the branch and her legs dangled aimlessly. When she had heard Optimus call for her, she had stupidly scooted out to the slimmer end of the branch, in hopes that he would be able to see her better from there. But, it had not been able to hold her weight and snapped under her weight, sending her plummeting down until she just barely caught herself on the branch below her. Now, was left in a panting mess.

She had never been good at pulls up. Never had managed to do even one in gym class, but it would seem that the opponent of death from falling could help ones strength.

Optimus was at her aid in no time though, already plucking her from the tree branch. Ruby let out a relived breath as she sat in the Primes palm, allowing herself to close her eyes for a moment as the pain in her arms began to develop from catching herself in a free fall. Opening her eyes though, she looked up at the Prime and offered him a smile.

"What took you so long?" She let out a wheezy laugh.

"How'd you get up in that tree?" Smokescreen asked, ignoring her question as he stepped up to the Primes side. "The branches are like, ten feet apart" He gave her a funny look. "And what happened, you look like a mess"

"Speak for yourself" Ruby huffed. "What do you think happened? I was being chased by Knockout" Smokescreen shrugged now. Ruby sighed, shaking her head. "It's a long story"

"And we have plenty of time to listen as it would seem that it is no longer safe to travel directly to base. We must wait for Ratchet to fix the ground bridge" Optimus spoke.

"Alright… but let's get out of here at least. I've just about had it with rocks and trees" The girl suggested. Optimus nodded in half understanding.

It had not taken long to find the road as the Prime had a good sense of direction to find it once more. They drove for some time, Ruby lay in the back bed for most of the time, her body aching from her mornings adventure. She could only imagine what tomorrow would bring. One thing she was certain of was that these robots would be the end of her.

Ruby sighed as she sat up from her spot on the Primes bed. Looking over to the cab, she glanced at his holo form before climbing up to the passenger seat. As she settled down, the belt immediately strapped itself around her. Her eyes flickered to him once more before shifting to the clock. Four thirty. She let out a breath, knowing the day was still not over.

"So, where are we headed?" She asked.

"At the moment, we are searching for a suitable place to stay until Ratchet repairs the ground bridge" Optimus let his eyes wander over to his passenger who was gazing out the window, eyes narrowed at a road sign.

"Mallowway…." She mumbled. Optimus frowned, but glancing at the sign she was looking at, he realized it was a town that pulled off at the next stop. Ruby suddenly brightened up. "I know where we are!" A large smile appeared on her face. "We aren't too far away from where I used to live!" She cheered, eyes hopefully shining brightly towards Optimus' holo form. He glanced over her for a moment, inspecting her messy form and pleading face as she smiled at him.

"Would you…. Like to stop there?" He offered. Instantly she gave out a cry and the only thing keeping her from jumping out of the seat to hug him was the seat belt.

"Really? Oh thank you!" She grinned at the thought of seeing her old friends. "All you have to do is pull off to Mallowway and it's just about a half hour away after that" She brimmed. Optimus nodded before turning on his comm link and informing Smokescreen of the sudden change in direction.

-O-

He growled, pacing in the hard tiled kitchen. His face twisted into a glare as his lips curled slightly. _Where was she? Where could she be hiding?_ He wondered. He had already stopped by the gas station just hours ago to ask the man if he knew anything of the girl, but the worker who had seen her was currently not on his shift. And the man who was working at the time knew nothing helpful. Only that he had heard his co-worker saying something on the lines that she had nearly been hit with a truck. And that was it. She was with a trucker.

He snarled at that thought, how was he going to find her now that she was on the road, possibly miles and miles away from where he stood at the moment. Nothing was falling into place. Nothing was going as planned. And the only place he could have the slightest idea as to where she would go was her old home. There old home. But why would she ever go there? She knew she was being followed, she knew the danger of returning to a familiar place. She was smarter than that. She knew that I she went back, he would surely find her.

No, she couldn't be there.

Suddenly though, he stopped pacing. No, that's exactly where she was. It was so obvious. He had always over thought things like this, and she knew that. She knew he would over think her going to their old home. She knew he would rule out her being there. The man smiled now already feeling giddy about seeing her once again.

Yes, he knew exactly where she was.

-O-

Ruby smiled as they drove into the town she had so dearly missed. Yes, some of her memories here she was not so find of, but the good ones outweighed the bad a hundred to one. Everything was exactly the same as she had left it. The streets were the same. Her favorite shops were still in business. She even recognized a face or two. The town was small, not tiny exactly, but it was a fair size. The people varied in the town. It was a farming place. There weren't very many natural open spaces, but the soil was very fertile there so the settlers had cut down parts of the forest to create the farm lands.

Ruby glanced out the window, her eyes grazing over a small apartment building and winced inside. That was not one of her fonder memories. But they passed by it quickly and Ruby forced the horrible thoughts out of her mind.

"This is where you originate from?" Optimus asked, his holo form glancing over to her.

"Ya, this is home" She offered him a smile. Ruby glanced out the side mirror of the semi-truck and at the sports car following them.

"So how long have you guys been on earth?" Ruby asked, her eyes drifting off of Smokescreen and back to Optimus.

"I have personally been here for more than a few years. It was our scout, Bumblebee, who took the first steps onto your planet in pursuit of the Decepticons" He informed her.

"And Smokescreen?" She wondered.

"As the newest member to team Prime, his stay here has only been of one of your weeks" Optimus' eyes darted over to her before returning to the road as they pulled off into the suburbs.

"Really? Only a week?" Ruby blinked. Well, it made more sense to her now as to why Smokescreen had been so fascinated with a trip to the grocery store. He was still learning about her planet. The two were silent for a moments more before another questioned popped into Ruby's mind.

"Who is that red Decepticon? I mean, I know his name, but what's up with him?" She asked.

"Knockout is the Decepticons medic"

"Ah, well that would explain why he kept bringing up surgery…" She shrugged.

"If I may ask, what events had taken place when he followed your pursuit?" The Prime questioned.

"We got stuck in a cave" Ruby almost smiled at the horrifying memory that had taken place not hours ago that had probably traumatized her no doubt. "I was trying to hide from him, but he found me quick enough. The cave we were in collapsed, the rocks trapping him so he couldn't move and inch"

"I don't really know what happened, I guess a rock fell on my head and I passed out. But uh when I woke up, there we were. And after a little persuasion I managed to make a deal with him. I'd help free him, and he wouldn't kill me" She smiled. "Nothing horrible happened besides a couple of insults here and there. But once I freed some the rocks we managed to get out and then he stuck me in a tree, and well, you know the rest"

Optimus let his eyes flicker towards the girl as he listened to her story. He knew that Knockout was one who didn't think much of humans, and he wasn't a mech who gave to much thought into a breaking a promise as he had no worries over his honor. So, it was surprising none the less to hear that he hadn't ended the girls life after she helped to free him.

"Hey, mind if we pull into the forest? Doesn't look as dense as the last one" Smokescreen asked via the comm link.

"You need a stretch already? It's been like, less than and an hour since we got out of the last forest" Ruby frowned.

"I just don't like being crunched up like this all the time" The young mech would have shrugged if he had not been in said crunched up form.

"Whatever, you guys go jog some laps or something, I'm gonna take a look around the town" Ruby huffed.

"Ruby, I do not believe that is the wisest choice as the Decepticons are still in pursuit" Optimus cut in. The glanced at him, opening her mouth to reply, but then shutting it.

"Alright…" She gave a sigh, sinking her seat a little. The Prime looked her over before venting.

"But, if you would like, I could accompany you while Smokescreen takes his walk" He caved in. Instantly Ruby perked up a little, a gleeful grin spreading on her face.

"Okay, you two have fun!" Smokescreen instantly sped his way out of the town, wasting no time. Ruby blinked after the sports car before glancing over to the holo form of Optimus as he pulled up to a red light.

"Hey, can we find a place to park?" She asked. She wanted to grab a quick bite to eat at the local coffee shop and not to mention she really had to go to the bathroom. It took a bit of searching, but pulling off the main road the semi found a large empty place to park. Hopping out of the truck, Ruby watched out of the corner of her eye as the door shut on its own and Optimus came up to her side.

"Where is it you wish to go?" He rumbled, glancing down at the girl.

"I just want to make a quick stop at the coffee shop" She replied. The Prime nodded before following the blonde human to where it was she wanted to go. The coffee shop was not far away and had only taken a couple minutes' walk to get to. Ruby had ordered her coffee and a sandwich that was being warmed currently. The girl had headed off into the bathroom after she had made her order, leaving Optimus on his own accord to stand in the nearly empty coffee shop.

Sitting at a table, he thrummed his fingers against the wood, bright blue eyes glancing over the interior of the area with mild interest.

"What's up Buttercup?" Ruby's voice pulled him out of his blank thoughts as she sat down across from him. The Prime gave her an empty stare and Ruby sighed. "Never mind" She shook her head.

"Ruby!" An employee shouted, holding up a coffee cup and a sandwich on a paper plate.

"Oh, there's my order" Ruby smiled, getting up to go get her order. Settling back down in the chair with her hot sandwich and cup of coffee, the girl tried to take a sip of the stuff only to reel back with a squeak. "Too hot, too hot!" She yelped, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she desperately tried to cool it off. A small smile curled onto Optimus' lips as he watched the human. As the hot, burning sensation dulled down to a throb.

"Thanks for the help" Ruby stated blankly, shooting the Prime a glare. Optimus was still learning what sarcasm was as were the other Autobots, but thanks to the children he was getting a better understanding of it and was immediately able to tell that this was a good example of it, so increasing his smile he chuckled.

"My pleasure" He grinned humorously. Ruby's frown deepened.

"Ya, I'm sure it was" She grumbled, taking a large bite out of her sandwich. The front door to the café like coffee shop rung a small 'tink' and more people walked in. Optimus glanced over to the new humans before looking back to Ruby who was munching away on her sandwich, not caring for the new comers behind her. Ruby was about to take another bite, but stopped halfway to send the Prime a look.

"You lose something over here?" She raised a brow. Optimus frowned at her words before realizing he was staring. Blinking, he shook his head a little.

"I apologize, I hadn't meant to-" He paused, his eyes moving over to the small group of humans who had walked in previously. One of them was staring at the back of Ruby's head while the others muttered to each other about what they should order. "-stare" He finished, his eyes meeting that of the human male who had been gazing at Ruby.

The boy was a decent height, around five foot ten. He had a somewhat lanky appearance to him, his slimmer frame not quite fitting into his large black t-shirt. His ruffled brown hair looked like he had barely brushed a comb through it. Dark green eyes were narrowed, somewhere between curiosity and being wary. His eyes darted to Optimus, but the second they made contact with his own bright blue stare, the boy diverted his eyes, uncomfortable with the strangers hard look. Optimus frowned a little, wondering why the human would be staring at Ruby like that.

Ruby frowned too as the Prime continued to stare off behind her. Turning her head to glance over her shoulder to see what had his attention only to find a pair of eyes boring into her. She was startled to say the less as her came in contact with the boys. But that startledness quickly changed into a rather large smile as she jumped up from her seat.

"Kevin!" She shouted, already flying herself towards the boys figure. They caught each other in an awkward embrace, both smiling like lunatics.

"I had a feeling that was you!" The boy, Kevin, laughed as they pulled apart from their hug.

"Ruby?" Came a females voice. Turning her head, said girl's smile grew even larger at the sight of a brunette.

"Libby!" Ruby threw her arms around the girl who did the exact same.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here? We haven't heard from you in ages!" Another girl joined in, sharing a hug with the blonde. Letting go, Ruby hugged the last person out of four, a shorter girl with bitch black hair, before turning to them all.

"Oh, it's so great to see you all!" She cheered. "How's the fort been holding up without me?" She couldn't help the smile that was spreading wider and wider across her face.

"Well no one's been able to replace your spot at the lunch table, that's for sure" The brunette girl grinned.

"Except for August, because well, he stole your seat" Kevin shrugged, only to squeal in pain as the brunette punched him hard.

"He only stole your seat, not your spot" She smiled to Ruby who was shaking her head.

"Speaking of which, how is the brute?" She asked, referring to August.

The group continued their exited chatter, Optimus watching from the side lines with interest. The boy, Kevin, kept glancing over to the Prime, unsure of the man who had been sitting with Ruby. After a couple minutes passed by and all greeting were out of the way, Ruby took notice of Kevin sending glances towards the man and nearly smacked her forehead, realizing she had all but forgotten about Optimus.

"Oh uh, hey-" She turned to the Prime. "These guys are some old friends of mine" She gestured to the group of four. "This is Alex," she waved her hand to the girl with pitch black hair, "Libby," She pointed to the brunette. "Peyton," She moved her hand to the girl with dark dirty blonde hair, a single red streak marking the bangs that swept over her forehead, "and Kevin" She finished, her hand landing on the boy. All them except Kevin waved to Optimus with a smile.

"And this is-" Ruby paused only for a second as she gestured to the Prime, realizing she couldn't say his real name as it was too…. Abnormal for a human.

"Orion" The Prime said the moment he noticed her pause.

"Nice to meet you, Orion" Libby lunged forward and took Optimus' hand in a violent shake, always exited to meet someone new. Optimus seemed more or less startled by the humans eagerness but accepted the handshake none the less. Libby was Ruby's best friend. They had met in the sixth grade when Libby moved into town. Ruby was the kind of person who kept to herself, always had been, but Libby had somehow managed to suck her into a friendship in the first month of a school.

Once Libby let go of Optimus' hand, she took a step back, still brimming.

"Hey, we're gonna go order and how about after that we pull up some chairs?" Alex suggested, blowing her thick black hair out of her face.

"Sure" Ruby smiled with a nod. The three girls left to go decide what they wanted while Kevin stuck behind, awkwardly standing before Ruby and Optimus. "Are you getting anything?" Ruby asked.

"No" The boy shook his head.

"Alright, well here, pull up a chair" Ruby smiled as she sat back in her own chair, scotching to the Primes side in order to make room for Kevin and the girls when they came back. Grabbing a chair, the boy pulled it up next to Ruby and sat down a little hesitantly. Ruby had met Kevin in the ninth grade as they found they had shared every class together at the time. He was like most teenagers, loud, rowdy, irresponsible. But he had a sweet nerdy aura to him. He tried to hide it, all of his little quirks. He always seemed to secretly have his nose in a book, drinking in every bit of knowledge he could know, and pretend like he knew nothing when he knew everything. Every answer was in his mind.

"So uh, where's August?" Ruby asked. "I never see you two apart"

"He should be here soon. But well, you know August…" He sighed, shaking his head. Ruby smirked. She did know August.

Every school has jocks. Popular. Nerds. Geeks. Jerks. August though, was that one guy you didn't want to mess. He was that kid who everyone cleared a path for. Broad, square shoulders. Strong, hard muscles. A dangerous flash always carried in his eyes. Look at him the wrong way and your shoved upside down in a locker. He was that invincible shield. And he was head over heels for Ruby.

They met in the seventh grade. It was in gym class, and the students were playing a good old classic game of tag. They had all groaned when the health instructor told them that's what they would be doing for the day. But, it was better than doge ball so they put up with it. And only a few minutes in did Ruby find herself running for her life as two of the faster kids in the class were nipping at her heels. Jerking to the side, Ruby dodged the two taggers just as they reached out to grab her, only to find herself colliding with something else. No, someone.

Ruby fell to the floor, feeling as if she had just been hit by a car on the high way before the wind was knocked out of her one again and a crushing feeling over took her ribs.

"Can't breathe, can't breathe!" She managed to gasp, she was lying flat on her stomach, and someone was laying on top of her, crossed over her back to form an x. As the weight lifted off her, she rolled over, crunching up as she grasped her rips, sucking in as much air as she could. After a moment she sat up and looked to her side only to shrink in terror as she realized just who she had collided with.

August.

Instantly she began to blubber out apologies, knowing that she was probably going to end up with a bloody nose, or a broken hand. "Oh-my-god-i-am-so-sorry-i-didn't-mean-to-run-into -you-i-just-wasn't-looking-where-i-was-going-its-m y-fault-" She blabbered all too fast and the boy blinked, holding his hands up.

"Slow down, slow down" He took his head, opening his eyes to look at her again, pausing only a moment. "Here-" He held out his hand. Ruby glanced at the hand with uncertainty as a student ran by the two, screaming as a tagger chased then around the gym. She glanced up at their surroundings, remembering they were playing tag. Biting her lip slightly, she grabbed his hand was immediately yanked up to her feet.

August brushed away some dirt that had clung to the sleeve of her shirt and smiled. "There" He stated, wiping the last of it off. "All better" Ruby just stared at him, amazed with herself that she had not yet been punched in the face and instead was being smiled at.

As more kids rushed by and slightly knocked into both him and Ruby, the boy sent daggers after them. "Watch it!" He snarled after them. Noticing the taggers coming after them, the boy grabbed on to Ruby's arm and dragged her behind him. "Come on, let's go!" He flashed her a smile. "And move your feet, I don't want to have to drag your sorry ass around the whole gym"

Ruby couldn't help but smile at the memory. Ever since then, August had been chasing after her, although he was not really the romantic type and most of his attempts to get her would fail miserably. Although, it had a made a good laugh for everyone else. Kevin's laugh brought Ruby back to reality and she glanced at her friend.

"Man, ol' lover boy's sure gonna be happy to see you" He grinned. Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Still?" She gave the boy a look.

"Always" Kevin grinned. Ruby groaned. While August had wanted to be more than just friends, she had never returned the same feelings towards him. While she had gotten to see his sweet side from time to time, it wasn't enough for her. "Speak of the devil…" Kevin glanced over to the front door as its little bell rang and in stepped a tall, well-muscled boy. Dark hair cut short and darker eyes wandering around the place, a lop sided grin spilled onto his face as he caught sight of the girls who were still bickering on what to get. Although, when his eyes fell onto Ruby sitting by Kevin, his smirk changed into a dropped jaw.

"Ruby?" He all but squealed with excitement, but then immediately flushed and glanced at the floor, giving a small cough as he put on a straight face, looking up again he swaggered to the table and gave her a small glace, pretending as if he had just noticed her.

"Oh, hey" He said cooly. "What are you doing here?" He looked at a wall, crossing his arms.

"Your desperation to be cool died the moment you walked in" Kevin flat lined.

"Shut up" A smile crossed over August's face as he looked back over to Ruby. The girl sighed.

"I suppose I owe him a hug too?" She gave a sideways look to Kevin who put on his thinking face.

"I don't know if August really needs a hug…." He rubbed his chin with a grin.

"August really needs a hug!" August laughed, plucking Ruby from out of her seat and giving her a bone crushing side hug.

"Get off me you brute!" Ruby managed to gasp a breath. Letting go of her, the boy laughed. Sitting back down, Ruby managed to spare a glance over to Optimus who was silently watching the teenagers interactions. He had grown accustomed to Jack, Miko and Raf's interaction with each other, but he had never really had the time to study any other humans. It was interesting to say the least to watch Ruby greet her old friends.

Taking a seat on the other side of Kevin, August finally seemed to notice Optimus and frowned.

"Oh uh, August, this is Orion" Kevin introduced, noticing August's gawking looks towards the man. His expression changed a bit, but the frown was still apparent.

"You could call him my road trip buddy" Ruby added, giving a look to said 'road trip buddy.' August kept his eyes narrowed at Optimus, but finally tore his gaze away from the Prime and over to Ruby.

"So, why are you so dirty?" He questioned now. Ruby blinked with a frown, glancing down at her cloths to find that she was in fact, covered in dirt and had multiple tears in her cloths.

"Oh uh, we out on a uh, trail and I kinda fell down" She shrugged. August's gaze didn't waver the slightest and Ruby knew he didn't buy her story, but Kevin seemed to as he leaned back in his chair just a little more. Suddenly Optimus stood up, an annoyed yet troubled look took over his face as he looked down at Ruby.

"I apologize, but we must go" He glanced over to the two boys who were frowning unhappily.

"What, why?" Ruby argued.

"There is something we must…. Attend to" He chose his words carefully, his eyes once again shifting to the girls friends. Ruby's eyes brows locked together for a moment before she suddenly slumped a little, realizing it must have something to do with Smokescreen.

"Er, okay…." She bit her lip. "Um, why don't you go see to it? I can stay here with-" She began but was cut off.

"I am afraid that it would be unwise if I leave you unaccompanied" He reasoned.

"Unaccompanied? We're here, she's good with us" Kevin jumped into the conversation.

"And why does she have to be watched anyways? She's plenty old enough to take care of herself" August huffed.

"Um, well, maybe it would be better if I go with Op-er, Orion" Ruby slowly stood up.

"Wa-what? Seriously? This is the first time we've seen you in over a year and your already_ leaving_?" Kevin gave her an unbelieving look.

"I'm sorry guys, hey, maybe I'll see you later," She gave a sad look to the two boys before glancing over to the girls who were still pointing at the menu on the wall, bickering over what to buy, "Tell them I said hi, bye" Ruby offered the two a smile again as she looked back over to them. Kevin sighed and August rubbed his face.

"Fine, fine, we'd better see you tomorrow. But it's a school week so it won't be until about after two O'clock" Kevin sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to convince his friend to stay any longer at the moment.

"I'll see what I can do. No promises" Ruby held her hands in the air. "Swing by the park at around two thirty. I'll be there if I'm not already gone."

"Hey, why aren't you in New York? It's a school week" August piped up with a frown.

"Bye guys!" Ruby instantly ignored the question. Taking her coffee and sand which off the table, she turned around and grabbed Optimus by the arm and pulled him out of the coffee shop in a hustle.

Walking back out on the towns streets, Ruby began to quickly eat the rest of her sandwich before glancing over to the Prime as she let go of his arm. "So, what's the big emergency?" She asked, her voice muffled from the last large bite of sandwich she had stuffed in her mouth.

"Smokescreen is in need of assistance" Optimus almost sighed. Ruby swallowed the bite with a large gulp of coffee before frowning at him.

"How do you know?" She asked, puzzled.

"He comm linked me" He sent a glance her way.

"What? But I didn't hear you calling-or coming-whatever! I didn't hear you talking to him though? You were just…. Sitting there" She threw her hands up a little, the coffee inside her cup swishing a little.

"It was a private comm link" Optimus answered.

"Huh?"

"It was a link that only Smokescreen and I could hear" He further explained. Ruby paused for a moment, glancing at the ground before her eyes widened and she looked back to the Prime with bright eyes.

"Like, telepathically?" She perked up.

"I suppose you refer to it as such" He offered her a slight smile that reached his eyes in a humorous tone. Ruby cracked a smile back.

"Robots are so cool" She laughed, daring to nudge his arm a little as she said so. The smile on Optimus' face grew a little more at her words. They walked back to the Primes real form in a comfortable silence. With her sandwich eaten, Ruby quickly began to slurp down her coffee before stepping into the truck, but Optimus only gave her a look.

"You do not have to do that" He almost sighed. Pausing from her gulping, Ruby looked up and leaned against the semi as she looked at the Primes holo form.

"I just thought that if I was going to get back in… you," She frowned a little as she thought about just how strange that sounded. Shaking her head though, she continued on. "it would be best if I finished my coffee first. I mean, I already munched down my sandwich, imagined that I wouldn't like it if someone was eating inside of me. And remember yesterday?  
She referred back to the empty soda cup she had left inside of him when he transformed.

Optimus offered her yet another rare smile. "I am certain that will not happen again" His voice nearly broke out into a chuckle. Almost.

"Are you sure don't want me to just finish it right now? It will only take a minute or two" She shrugged at the cup.

"It is quite alright" Optimus nodded towards her. Ruby tapped her fingers against the metal guard of the semi, she could feel the truck shift from behind her and under her fingers, his holo form also shifting to lean on his right foot a little uncomfortable. Holding his fist up to his mouth he let out a small cough.

"I um, I can feel that" As he shifted to the left foot the truck shifted too. Ruby frowned at him for a moment before realization hit her and she stopped thrumming her fingers against him. She paused for another moment before leaning off of him to stand on her own weight.

"Oh, er- sorry" She tried to hide her blush. An awkward silence over took the two for a moment, leaving Optimus to glance around at the scenery of the town and Ruby to bite at her lip.

"Why don't we go?" Optimus suddenly suggested.

"Yeah, that would be good" Ruby instantly nodded, turning around to walk to the side of the truck as the door opened for her. Climbing into the large vehicle, she hauled herself into the seat with a small grunt, doing her best to keep her coffee from spilling in her hand. As the holo form climbed into the front seat it fizzled out of existence and the windows tinted.

"Too lazy to pretend to drive?" Ruby raised a brow humorously.

"No" Came the blunt answer. Ruby frowned at the truck, wondering why he didn't want to use the hologram. Was he embarrassed that she had been tapping against him? She thought about where his grill was placed on his body, but couldn't quite remember. Although, was almost certain it was somewhere near his chest, or on his stomach area.

"Alright, well-why I don't I sit in the driver's seat then?" Ruby offered as she reached her arm over to unbuckled the seat belt that Optimus had strapped around her. Although, as her hand touched the buckled, the belt only tightened around her.

"That is alright. My windows are dark enough" He denied her offer. Ruby let out a small breath.

"Okay, have it your way" She held up her hands, coffee still in her right. At that, the belt loosened a little, but not by much. Starting up his engine, the semi began to pull out of the empty parking lot and back out on the towns road. Ruby wiggled a little uncomfortably, making a small coughing noise in the back of her throat.

"Mind loosening up a bit? I feel like I'm being hugged by a snake" She tugged on the seat belt a little.

"Oh, my apologies" Optimus instantly loosened the seat belt.

"Thanks…" Ruby sunk a little further into the seat, kicking her back pack away from her feet. As they drove through town, they passed by the coffee shop again and Ruby caught a glimpse of her friends walking out of it, coffee and pastries in hand. None of them seemed to notice her in the semi. No one but Kevin who frowned at the semi, his eyes just managing to catch hers through the dark windows. But, then he was out of view and Ruby sunk even further into the seat.

"I think you need to make your windows a little darker…." She flushed. Optimus didn't reply, but he responded by darkening his windows even further to the point where Ruby herself could barely see out of them. She knew there was a law about how dark your windows can be, but she doubted they were going to get caught. The cops were rather careless in this town anyway.

There were a few more minutes of silence as they drove out of the town and onto the road that lead into the forest before Ruby frowned. "So…what exactly did Smokescreen get himself into?" She asked.

Optimus finally let out the sigh he had been holding since the young warrior had first commed him.

…

So uh, my week was pretty normal, you know, went to school, had some tests, procrastinated an essay about law, did some volunteering and oh yeah, I PET AN ARTIC WOLF. YEAH THAT'S RIGHT. Haha, but anyways, sorry that things in the story are moving kinda slow. It was start to kick up really about the end of chapter 6 so uh, not too long away! But for now, you must wait my pretties, wait and read!

But as most of you who read my past story of "Trust" know, and as I said after chapter 3, Knockout and Ruby will continue their little flaunts and you shall dear readers, that this time, this time it will really pay off for dear sweet Ruby. Oh yes, this writer has plans, *Que evil grin*.

But alas, it is time I stop nagging on about future plot twists and get to the point. The point of you reviewing my story. So do it. I don't care if you already have, I LOVE hearing what you think about each and every chapter! So thanks for the awesome reviews guys, can't wait to hear more!


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